Update | China, India pledge to resolve border dispute; call for greater trust between two Asian powers
World's most populous nations also sign raft of agreements to improve cooperation after decades of strained relations between two countries
China and India proposed measures on Friday to resolve a long-festering border dispute as Beijing sought to clear obstacles to improve a relationship that it said could change the international political order.
Premier Li Keqiang met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Beijing, the second leg of his three-day trip to China, during which both sides have pledged to boost cooperation between the two Asian giants.
“We have the ability to make the global political and economic order move in a more just and balanced direction,” Li said.
The two countries agreed to start annual visits between their militaries, expand exchanges between the border commanders and start using a military hotline that has been discussed in recent years to defuse flare-ups on the border, according to a joint statement.
Tensions rose between China and India last year over the disputed border.
China lays claim to more than 90,000 sq km ruled by New Delhi in the eastern sector of the Himalayas.