Beijing: China has said President Xi Jinping's maiden visit to India has propelled bilateral ties into a historic phase and opened a new chapter in its neighbourhood diplomacy.

"President Xi's visit has propelled the development of China-India ties into a new historic phase," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a briefing to the Chinese media on Xi's just-concluded visit to India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Tajikistan.

Wang quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as telling Xi during their meeting that the two sides should constantly push forward their relationship "From Inch to Mile"

Sharing such a view, both heads of states agreed to build a closer developmental partnership, deepen the cooperation within bilateral, regional and global frameworks, Wang was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Modi and Xi also agreed to defend the common interests of the two countries and that of other developing countries while enhancing the just and sound development of international politics and economic order, Wang said yesterday.

They reaffirmed that both sides will properly manage and control the border disputes between the two nations, maintain peace and security in the border regions and find a solution to such issues at an early date, he said.

The Chinese Foreign Minister pointed out that Indian leaders, including President Pranab Mukherjee, said the mutually-beneficial cooperation with China is vital to India if it wants to take advantages from Asia's development.

Wang quoted them as saying that India is ready to make joint efforts with China to achieve common development and prosperity.

Xi's visits to Tajikistan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India, and his attendance at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, opened a new chapter for China's neighbourhood diplomacy that features amity and cooperation, Wang said.

Chinese and Indian leaders decided to carry forward their friendship from both historic depths and comprehensive perspectives and keep reciprocal cooperation as the constant theme of China-India relations, he said.

In India, Xi also delivered a speech on China's policy towards India and South Asia in the new era, expounding China's major measures to strengthen the cooperation with South Asian nations, while expressing the hope to realise common development and prosperity via the implementation of the "One Belt, One Road" initiatives, Wang said.

Xi proposed to closely knit China's competitive industries with the geographical features and the development needs of Tajikistan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India, by building the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21 Century Maritime Silk Road," Wang said.

Sri Lanka and the Maldives have extended their support to the Maritime Silk Road plan while India is yet to announce its stand on it, he said.

Wang listed more than 60 cooperative documents that China signed with the four countries during Xi's visit.

He said the countries have pledged active participation in constructing the "belt" and the "road," Wang said.

Xi's visit to the four countries charted a fresh course for the "One Belt and One Road" initiatives, Wang said.

All the four nations are pivot points of the "One Belt and One Road" with which China has historic ties and interwoven contemporary interests and all of them hope to ride on the fast train of China's development to fulfill their own dreams, Wang said.

Xi's trip to central and south Asia was aimed at bringing together the aspirations of countries in the region with the "One Belt and One Road" initiatives to pursue common prosperity and security, he said.

During the tour which spanned nine days and included more than 70 events, Xi conducted in-depth exchanges of opinions with national leaders and reached out to the general public of those countries, the Chinese Foreign Minister said. ----- PTI