India and China Monday agreed to maintain peace on their disputed borders and work toward an early settlement of the issue, while signing eight pacts to boost economic ties and cooperation. According to dpa, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, on his first overseas trip, held talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. His tour comes two weeks after a 20-day standoff between Chinese and Indian soldiers in the Ladakh border region. Special envoys will "meet soon to continue discussions, seeking early agreement on a framework for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable boundary settlement," Singh said alongside Li. "The basis for continued growth and expansion of our ties is peace and tranquility on our borders, while seeking an early resolution of the boundary question," Singh said. Li said they had reached a "strategic consensus and deepened strategic trust." "Both sides believe that we need to improve the various border related mechanisms and make them more efficient," he said. Monday's talks focused mostly on stabilizing diplomatic ties after last month's alleged incursion by Chinese troops 19 kilometres into the disputed territory.
