The Hindu : China hails initiative

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 04, 2003

International

International

China hails initiative

By P.S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE MAY 3. China said today that it was "pleased" to note that both India and Pakistan had taken "positive steps" towards a possible rapprochement. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhang Qiyue, Beijing "believes" that the initiatives by India and Pakistan "will create (a) favourable atmosphere and conditions for the resumption of dialogue between the two countries".

Commenting on the latest flurry of diplomatic signals from New Delhi and Islamabad, Ms. Zhang said in Beijing that China "sincerely hopes that the two nations will resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue and jointly contribute to peace, stability and development in the South Asian region".

Underlining how "glad" Beijing was over the present turn of events concerning India and Pakistan, she noted that both these countries "are friendly neighbours of China".

Both had now expressed their willingness to take "concrete measures" to "improve" their ties, she said, without going into any specifics.

Nor did she evaluate the new moves by India and Pakistan against the chequered history of their bilateral efforts to set right their deeply estranged relationship.

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