China on Monday waded into the furore over the controversial remarks by two now-suspended BJP functionaries against Prophet Mohammad, expressing the hope that the incident can be properly handled.
China, which faces serious allegations of a mass crackdown on Uygur Muslims in the volatile Xinjiang province, said: “China always believes that different civilisations and religions should respect each other and live together as equals”.
“We have noted relevant reports and hope that the situation will be handled properly,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing responding to a question from the official Chinese media here on the protests triggered by the comments made by the BJP leaders.
“It is always important to discard pride and prejudice, better understand the differences between one's own civilisation and other civilisations, and promote exchanges, dialogue and harmonious coexistence between civilisations,” he said.
Wang's updated comments were posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.
Significantly, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman's comments came a day after Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's visit to China.Gen. Bajwa held talks with Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) General Zhang Youxia at the Qingdao city on Sunday, according to official media reports here.
The BJP on June 5 suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks against the Prophet.Amid protests by Muslim groups over the remarks, the party also issued a statement aimed at assuaging the concerns of minorities and distancing itself from these members, asserting that it respects all religions and strongly denounces the insult of any religious personality.