Wang: China, India should tap their potentials

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Wednesday for tapping potentials for cooperation between China and India while managing their differences properly to move forward bilateral ties.

Wang made the remarks when meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province. Swaraj is on a visit to China for the 16th meeting of the foreign ministers of China, Russia and India in Wuzhen, a historic water town.

Wang told Swaraj that China considers bilateral ties important in its neighborhood diplomacy.

He recalled the informal meeting between President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, in April last year, saying the leaders' meeting has guided bilateral relations into a new stage featuring more mature and stable.

The two countries have developed sound cooperation in various fields, and in the new year, the two sides should implement the consensus reached between the two leaders and make preparations for the high-level exchanges as well as the events commemorating the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Wang said.

Wang also expressed concerns over the recent tensions in South Asia, saying China opposes to terrorism in any form.

As friends of both India and Pakistan, China hopes the two sides could exercise restraint to avoid escalations of the tensions, and make joint efforts to safeguard regional peace through dialogues, he added.

Swaraj said the two countries should work together to strengthen strategic communications, deepen pragmatic cooperation, intensify cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and jointly safeguard the peace and tranquility of the border area so as to move forward the bilateral ties steadily.