Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held telephone conversations on Thursday and Friday with his Indian and Pakistani counterparts, Pranab Mukherjee and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, respectively, pledging to push forward relations with the two South Asian neighbors in 2009.

During the conversations, Yang and the two ministers spoke highly of the sound development of China-India and China-Pakistan relations in the outgoing year and vowed to make concerted efforts in 2009 to score new achievements in bilateral relations.

The Chinese foreign minister also exchanged views with Mukherjee and Qureshi on last month's Mumbai terror attacks and the security situation in South Asia.

Yang reiterated China's strong condemnation of the attacks, noting that both India and Pakistan have voiced their determination to combat terrorism.

China hopes that India and Pakistan, both important neighbors of China, would bear in mind regional peace and stability, properly handle related issues through dialogue and consultations, and continue to improve their relations and to push forward the peace process between the two countries, Yang said.

China holds that stable, peaceful and sound ties between India and Pakistan are in the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples and at the same time are the common aspiration of the international community, he said.

Yang said that China opposes any form of terrorism and is willing to work with India, Pakistan and the rest of the international community to jointly safeguard peace and security in the South Asian region.

For their parts, Mukherjee and Qureshi expressed appreciation of China's stance on the issue and its efforts to maintain and promote stability in the region.

(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2008)