China, India pledge to enhance mutual trust, safeguard border peace

NEW DELHI -- Senior defense officials from China and India vowed on Tuesday to enhance the strategic mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation between the two nations.

At the 8th meeting of China-India Defense and Security Consultation, Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission, said China and India share broad common interests on international and regional affairs.

The annual dialogue is co-chaired by Sun and Indian Defense Secretary Shri G Mohan Kumar.

The leaders of both countries have maintained frequent exchanges of visits and reached consensus on the development of bilateral ties in recent years, Sun said.

The Chinese military is willing to join hands with India army to maintain the exchanges on border defense, improve the mechanism of communication and strengthen border management and control so as to safeguard peace and stability in their border areas, he added.

For his part, Kumar said the exchanges of visits and interactions between Chinese and Indian leaders have promoted the India-China strategic partnership of cooperation, which has also contributed to the common prosperity of the two countries as well as the world peace and development.

The Indian side is ready to take effective measures to boost communication and coordination between border guards with China, and properly manage and control disputes in order to ensure the border peace and tranquility.