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China welcomes India's move

By P.S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE OCT. 17. China today welcomed India's decision to withdraw its troops deployed on the international border with Pakistan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhang Qiyue, said at a press conference that Beijing would welcome all efforts aimed at reducing the current tensions that prevailed on the India-Pakistan front. China has for long been a strategic and tactical ally of Pakistan.

However, in recent years, Beijing has sought to develop friendly ties with India too, without really diminishing the spirit and fervour of the China-Pakistan equation. It is against this background that Ms. Zhang described China as a friend to both India and Pakistan.

The spokesperson said: "as a neighbour of South Asia and mutual friend of India and Pakistan, China has always called on the two countries to end the confrontation as soon as possible.'' India and Pakistan were also asked to "restore direct dialogue and resolve differences in a peaceful way.''

Ms. Zhang said that a peaceful resolution of the India-Pakistan differences would be "in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples.'' Such an approach would also be "in line with the expectations of the international community,'' she said.

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