Chinese premier: Peace requires India-China trust

China's new premier said Monday he chose India for his first foreign visit because cooperation between the world's two most populous nations is crucial to world stability and economic growth.

Li Keqiang was visiting India just weeks after the two nations resolved a tense standoff between their troops over the disputed Himalayan border between their two countries. The dispute was widely seen here as an example of China using its vastly superior military force to bully a major regional rival.

Li, who took office in March as China's top economic official, spoke diplomatically Monday, insisting that the two Asian giants needed to work together, especially as Asia assumes a more dominant role in global affairs.

"World peace and regional stability cannot be a reality without strategic mutual trust between China and India, and likewise the development and prosperity of the world cannot be a reality without the cooperation ... of China and India," he told reporters in New Delhi after being received by a ceremonial honor guard.

Soon after his arrival in the Indian capital Sunday, Li met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The two leaders emphasized that efforts should be made to resolve the border dispute, which led to a bloody war in 1962, India's External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said. Fifteen rounds of talks on the dispute have made little headway.

They also underscored the need for maintaining peace and tranquility along the de facto border pending resolution of the boundary issue, Akbaruddin said.

In last month's incident, India said Chinese troops crossed the de facto border on April 15 and pitched camp in the Depsang Valley in the Ladakh region of eastern Kashmir. New Delhi responded with diplomatic protests and then moved its soldiers just 300 meters (yards) from the Chinese position.

The two sides negotiated a peaceful end to the standoff three weeks later by withdrawing troops to their original positions in the Ladakh area.

Gautam Bambawale, a senior external affairs ministry official, said Saturday that India and China are negotiating a border defense cooperation agreement. He declined to give details. Indian media reports said the agreement proposes a freezing of troop levels in the disputed border region as the two countries make efforts to settle the issue.

The nations have other disputes as well, including China's unwavering support of Indian rival Pakistan and the two nations' competition for energy sources in the South China Sea.

Even their $61.5 billion in trade last year was a source of tension, because it was heavily skewed in favor of China.

In a written statement on his arrival in the Indian capital, Li said China regarded India as an important partner and friend. He expressed the hope that his visit would inject new vigor into their cooperative partnership, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.