India, China are friends, should help each other succeed: Beijing

India and China should help each other succeed instead of undercutting each other and intensify cooperation instead of harboring suspicion at each other, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

"China and India are each other's friends and partners, not threats or rivals. The two sides need to help each other succeed instead of undercutting each other; we should intensify cooperation instead of harboring suspicion at each other," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying wrote in a tweet.

"The China-India relationship is essentially about how the world's two largest developing countries get along and pursue development and rejuvenation together," Chunying said.

The spokesperson further said that the confrontation will not solve the problem between the two countries and returning to peaceful negotiation is the right way forward.

In a tweet, the spokesperson said, "What happened again proves that initiating confrontation will not solve the problem, and that returning to peaceful negotiation is the right way forward."

Earlier today, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two countries need to expand and enhance cooperation to create enabling condition for the settlement of the border dispute.

On Friday, Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri met Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui in Beijing, who was the Chinese envoy to India during the Doklam crisis, and emphasised the importance of completing the disengagement of troops from the remaining areas in eastern Ladakh, saying it would help restore peace and tranquillity at the border and provide conditions for progress in bilateral ties.

India and China had a stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since April-May last year due to actions of the Chinese Army and the disengagement process was reached after several rounds of military and diplomatic talks.

Earlier in February after the completion of disengagement in the Pangong Lake area, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised that both sides should now quickly resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

Jaishankar said that once disengagement is completed at all friction points, then the two sides could also look at broader de-escalation of troops in the area and work towards the restoration of peace and tranquillity.

( With inputs from ANI )