China, India agree to strengthen military ties

BEIJING - Chinese and Indian senior military officials met in Beijing Monday and agreed to strengthen ties.

Xu Qiliang, vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission, met with Indian Defense Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma.

Xu Qiliang (R), vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission, shakes hands with Indian Defense Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma during a meeting in Beijing, capital of China, Jan 14, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xu said China and India, being the biggest developing countries in the world, are important neighbors for each other.

He noted that the two countries have extensive common interests and developing friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation is in line with the common aspiration of the two peoples as well as global development.

He said that he believes that the two countries have enough wisdom and ability to handle their relationship and are able to pave a healthy and stable development path for it.

Xu said China attaches great importance in developing military ties with India and hopes to increase mutual strategic trust, enhance friendly communication and deepen pragmatic cooperation in order to promote the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity and make a positive contribution to world and regional peace and stability.

Sharma said India attaches great importance to developing its relationship with China and he is confident in the future progress of military relations between the two countries.