BEIJING, May 31: Chinese President Hu Jintao said his country welcomed the peace initiatives taken by Pakistan and India for settlement of their disputes.

Sources in Beijing told APP that during his meeting with India Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee held at St Petersburg on Saturday on the sidelines of 300th anniversary of the Russian city, Mr Hu said China welcomed the warming of relations between India and Pakistan.

The president said China was pleased to see that India and Pakistan had expressed their willingness to take concrete measures to improve bilateral ties. He said China believed the measures would lead to conditions which would allow the resumption of dialogue between the two countries.

The two leaders also discussed the post-Iraq scenario and the issue of international terrorism.