China, India consulting on border issues

BEIJING - China and India have engaged in close contact and consultation with aims to properly handle problems along their border, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Thursday.

In response to Indian media reports of a "stand-off" along a western part of the China-India borderline, Hua Chunying said that the two sides are communicating with each other closely through a consultation and coordination mechanism on border issues.

Through this contact, both sides have learned more about each other's concerns and stance, helping to find an appropriate solution to the problems, said the spokeswoman at a daily news briefing.

The border issues are a problem left over from history, Hua said, adding that the two countries have reached consensus that they should not affect the overall bilateral relationship between China and India.

"We believe that China and India are wise and capable enough to handle the existing differences and problems while boosting friendly cooperation between the two countries," she added.

The spokeswoman said it is inevitable for the neighboring countries to have certain problems along the border.

"What is important is that the two sides should resolve the problems by friendly consultation through the mechanisms and related channels," she said, adding that maintaining peace and stability along the border is in both countries' interests.