China welcomes India, Pakistan participation in anti-terror drill

China on Monday welcomed the joint participation of India and Pakistan in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) ongoing counter-terrorism military exercise in Russia.

Around 3,000 soldiers from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Pakistan are taking part in the "Peace Mission 2018" exercise, according to Chinese media reports. India and Pakistan became full members of the SCO in 2017, while 10 representatives from Uzbekistan are participating as observers.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Beijing viewed the participation of both countries in the exercise positively and hoped it would contribute to better relations between the two neighbours.

"We welcome India and Pakistan's joint participation in this counter-terrorism exercise under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation framework," Hua said.

She described India and Pakistan as important countries in South Asia and said stability in their relationship was significant for peace and development in the region as well as globally.

"We sincerely hope that they could enhance their dialogue and cooperation both bilaterally and within multilateral mechanisms like the SCO, work together to improve their ties and jointly maintain regional peace and stability," she added.

Relations between India and Pakistan have remained strained since the 2016 terror attack on an Indian Army camp, which New Delhi has alleged was backed by Pakistan.