China on Saturday welcomed the surprise meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, in Lahore, saying improvement in India-Pakistan ties is significant for regional peace, stability and development.
“The Chinese side has noticed the report and welcomes the latest development in the Pakistan-India relationship,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.
He was responding to a question about Mr. Modi’s surprise visit.
Mr. Lu said Pakistan and India were important countries in South Asia and the improvement of their relationship would be significant for regional peace, stability and development.
“As the common neighbour and friend of both Pakistan and India, China is happy to see and will support, as always, Pakistan and India to enhance mutual trust and achieve common development through continuous dialogue,” he said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the meeting between the two leaders, hoping that the bilateral dialogue would be maintained and strengthened going forward.“The Secretary-General has long been encouraging both leaders of the two countries to engage in dialogue. He obviously welcomes this visit and this step in the right direction,” a UN spokesperson said.
