Article Posted on : - Dec 26, 2012

BEIJING (PTI): Against the backdrop of India and Russia inking defence deals worth USD 4 billion, China on Wednesday said improved relations between the two countries would contribute to peace and stability in Asia and the world at large.

"China welcomes (efforts of) Russia and India to develop their friendly relations and hopes and believes that improvement of their relations will contribute to peace and development and stability in Asia and world," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing.

She was commenting on a question on the new defence deals signed between India and Russia during President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to New Delhi.

After Putin's talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India and Russian signed 10 key pacts, including defence deals worth around USD 4 billion.

"Both Russia and India are China's neighbours... As emerging countries, China, Russia and India maintain sound communication and coordination within frameworks such as the BRICS and the trilateral foreign ministers' talks," Hua said.

She also noted that the Sino-Russian relationship and China-India ties have maintained sound development momentum in recent years.

China has a multi-faceted cooperation with Russia in fields like energy, defence and high technology.