Beijing: China today downplayed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to India as a bilateral issue, even as the state-media termed the trip as a failure for not succeeding in pinning down Beijing.
“The visit you mentioned is an issue between India and Japan,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a media briefing while responding to a question on Abe's just-concluded visit to India.
The visit evoked considerable media attention here in view of the China-Japan diplomatic stand off over the disputed islands in East China Sea.
On the emerging defence cooperation between India and Japan, Qin said, “we hope that development of defence cooperation between both countries will be conducive to peace stability and security of the whole region.”
“Because peace, stability and security of the region should be upheld and safeguarded by all relevant countries,” he said.
During Abe's visit, India invited Japan to join the India-US Malabar Joint military exercises and the two countries discussed the sale of Japan's US-2 amphibious aircraft to India.
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