China welcomes PM Imran's congratulatory message to Indian counterpart Modi on election victory

BEIJING: A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan's congratulatory message to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on his election victory.

"China has noted the interaction between the two leaders and we welcome that," Lu Kang said during his routine briefing held here.

He said both Pakistan and India were important countries in South Asia and harmony between them served interests of both sides and it was also the common aspiration of the international community.

He said both Pakistan and India were important countries in South Asia and harmony between them served the common interests of both sides and it was also the common aspiration of the international community.

"We hope both sides can continue to show goodwill, meet each other halfway, resolve differences through dialogue, improve their relations and jointly uphold peace and stability of the region," he said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had congratulated his Indian counterpart Modi in a message posted on his Twitter account on Thursday. Indian Prime Minister Modi thanked him in his response and said he also considered regional peace and development as a priority.

Responding to a question about the victory of the Modi's BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, he said China also congratulated Prime Minister Modi on winning the election.

He said Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent him a congratulatory message.

The spokesperson said China and India were important neighbours to each other and China attached high importance to bilateral relations with India.