China hopes Russia-India ties conducive to Asia

BEIJING - A spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed hope that the development of relations between Russia and India is conducive to the peace and stability of Asia and the world.

Spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remarks at a daily press briefing on Wednesday while commenting on the freshly inked defense deals between Russia and India.

"Both Russia and India are China's neighbors of friendship," Hua said,  adding that China welcomes the development of friendly ties between Russia and India.

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

Hua also noted that the Sino-Russian relationship and Sino-Indian ties have maintained sound development momentum in recent years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a one-day visit to India on Monday, during which the two countries signed arms deals worth $2.9 billion.