China has assured India of support in hosting the G-20 Leaders' Summit, saying that that the Chinese government “stands ready” to work with all the parties to make the New Delhi leaders’ meeting a success.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday that Beijing considered G-20 the premier forum for international economic cooperation.
“China always attaches high importance to and actively participates in relevant activities,” Mao remarked.
China Rejects Concerns Around Xi’s Absence at the G-20 Summit
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman dismissed speculation around the absence of President Xi Jinping at the G-20 Summit, while responding to a pointed question if the decision to send Premier Li Qiang instead of Xi to the G-20 meeting “reflect tensions” between the two Asian neighbours.
Mao underscored the point that China-India ties have been stable on the whole and both the sides have maintained dialogue and diplomacy at various levels.
“The continued improvement and growth of China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and two peoples. We stand ready to work with India to further improve and advance bilateral relations,” the Chinese official stated.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi held a conversation on the margins of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg last month, New Delhi has said.
During the talks, Modi told Xi that “peace and tranquility” at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remained “essential” for normalizing the bilateral ties, as he highlighted concerns around unresolved issues in the Ladakh region.
“In this regard the two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation,” according to the Indian version of the meeting.
For his part, Xi told the Indian leader that both the nations should "properly handle" the border differences to "safeguard peace and tranquility" and that stable Sino-India ties serve the interests of both the nations.