BEIJING – China on Friday welcomed the interaction between Prime MinisterImran Khan and his counterpart Narendra Modi saying both Pakistan and Indiawere South Asia’s important countries and harmony between them served theircommon interests as well as of international community.

“China has noted the interaction between the two leaders and we welcomethat,” Lu Kang, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman said during his routinebriefing held here.

He observed that both Pakistan and India were important countries in SouthAsia and harmony between them served interests of both sides and it wasalso 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 jointlyuphold peace and stability of the region.”

Responding to a question about the victory of National Democratic Allianceled by Indian PM Modi in the election of Lok Sabha, the lower house ofIndian parliament, the spokesman said that China congratulated PM Modi onwinning the election.

He said that Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent him a congratulatorymessage.

The spokesperson said that China and India were important neighbors to eachother and it attached high importance to the bilateral relations with India.