China's Loss, Not India's: Centre On Beijing Skipping G20 Meet In Kashmir

China not attending the G20 meeting in Srinagar does not make any difference and it is their loss, not India's, Union minister Jitendra Singh said today.

Delegates of all G20 countries, barring China, arrived in Srinagar on Monday to attend the third G20 tourism working group meeting.

"That (China not attending the meeting) does not make any difference. China not coming is China's loss, not India's," Mr Singh told Press Trust of India on the sidelines of the G20 meet in Srinagar.

Asked if Beijing's abstention was linked to the eastern Ladakh border standoff, Mr Singh said the Ministry of External Affairs will take a call on that.

On holding the G20 event in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Singh said different venues will give an idea to the delegates about the places they visit.

"We are not a small, homogeneous nation like some countries in Europe. We are a diverse country," the Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office added.

Asked about Pakistani propaganda on Kashmir, the minister said the common people have moved on.

"What is most important is that the common man has moved on. If you talked to a man on streets in Srinagar, he may not talk freely. But with decisive action against terror, the veil of fear is being lifted," he added.

A day earlier, Mr Singh said Kashmir has undergone a change and "common people on the streets of Srinagar want to move on. They have lost two generations (due to Pakistan-backed terrorism)."
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)