New Delhi reacted crossly Wednesday after
Xi Jinping appeared again to back Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Kashmir, just two days before Indian premier Narendra Modi was due to host the Chinese president for an "informal summit".
Kashmir, divided between
India and
Pakistan since 1947, has been the spark for two wars between the nuclear-armed arch foes, and India's scrapping of the region's semi-autonomous status in August has further inflamed tensions.
Xi told Khan at talks in
Beijing ahead of the Chinese leader's meeting with Modi in Chennai on Friday and Saturday that Beijing was paying close attention and that the facts are clear, the Xinhua state news agency reported.