Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Durban, South Africa, March 27, 2013. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Xi Jinping has asked  for India and China to boost military contact and deepen trust.

Mr. Xi,said  that both countries needed to broaden exchanges between their armed forces.

He also called for both countries to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to the border dispute “as soon as possible”

Mr. Xi’s particular emphasis on expanding mutual “military and security trust” underscore concerns in both countries on recently strained defence ties, which were suspended for a year in 2010, after China refused to host the then head of the Army’s Northern Command citing its sensitivities in Kashmir.

More recently, the Chinese side has appeared more eager to boost ties, Indian officials say, indicating its willingness by hosting Indian Army officers from Jammu and Kashmir in recent delegations and also taking a delegation to facilities in Tibet for the first time in many years.

China’s change in posture, analysts note, has coincided with increasing tensions faced by Beijing in the South China Sea and with Japan over East China Sea islands.

On the border issue, he said “China and India should improve and make good use of the mechanism of special representatives to strive for a fair, rational solution framework acceptable to both sides as soon as possible”

He also called on both sides to “continue to safeguard peace in their border areas and prevent the issue from affecting bilateral relations.”

Mr. Xi described both countries as having “a similar historic mission to boost their social and economic development,” and said they were in “an important period of strategic opportunities.”

“China, which regards its ties with India as one of the most important bilateral relationship, commits itself to pushing forward the two countries' strategic cooperative partnership,” he said, adding that both sides needed “to maintain high-level reciprocal visits and contacts, make full use of political dialogues and consultations at various levels to strengthen strategic and political communication.”

 Mr. Singh as saying he hoped India and China “would respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, deepen mutual strategic trust, strengthen coordination and cooperation on international affairs, and safeguard peace and stability in the region and the world at large.”

He also appeared to reassure China about its recent concerns over India’s possible role in the United States’ “pivot” or rebalancing to Asia and strengthening of military alliances in the region, seen by many in China as a move to contain its rise.

Mr. Singh said India “adheres to an independent foreign policy” and “will not be used as a tool to contain China.”

He also sought to assuage Chinese concerns on Tibet. He said India “recognises the Tibet Autonomous Region is a part of the Chinese territory and that India will not allow Tibetans to conduct political activities against China in India” 

Source -news.Xinhuanet.com