China welcomes India-Pakistan dialogue

China on Monday welcomed the recent meeting between Indian and Pakistani leaders in New York and reiterated its support for the two countries to solve their differences through dialogue.

"We welcome the efforts made by the leaders of India and Pakistan to improve bilateral relations," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei at a regular news briefing.

Hong's remarks came as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, met in New York on Sunday, in which they agreed to work for a complete ceasefire in the Kashmir region.

"India and Pakistan are both important countries in South Asia, the improvement of their relations is critical to peace, stability and development in the region," the spokesman said.

"As their common neighbors and friends, China supports, as we always, efforts by India and Pakistan to solve their differences through dialogue and cooperation to achieve common development," he said.