China is hoping that India would exert more efforts to attain peace and stability in the region as its Defense Ministry expressed concern on Thursday, Aug. 25, about India's plans to deploy advanced cruise missiles along the disputed border, a Reuters report said.
According to Indian military officials, their plan is to deploy the BrahMos missiles to support regiments along the China border. The missiles were made under an Indo-Russian joint venture, as part of the country's efforts to strengthen military and civilian infrastructure in the area.
The two countries, which have both nuclear capabilities, have been working steadily to ease tensions between them.
Last year, the leaders of the two countries vowed to calm down and resolve the border dispute, which was marked by a short border war in 1962, but the issues remain unsettled.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said during a monthly news briefing that both countries have reached an "important consensus" to preserve peace and maintain stability in the border region.
"We hope that the Indian side can do more to benefit peace and stability along the border and in the region, rather than the opposite," Wu said, although he did not discussed the issue further.
More than 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles) in the eastern sector in the Himalayas is under Indian rule, according to China. On the other hand, India said that 38,000 sq km (14,600 sq miles) of its territory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the west is being claimed by China.
In addition, India is also wary of the support that China provides for its rival, Pakistan.
Next month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet when the Indian leader visits China to attend the G20 summit.
Previous reports said that the Indian government has ordered BrahMos Aerospace, the producer of the missiles, to hasten the sales of the missile to five countries including Vietnam.
Before his China trip, the Indian prime minister is also set to visit Vietnam, which is currently involved in a dispute over the South China Sea with China.