BEIJING, Jan 1: China on Monday urged Pakistan and India to show “utmost restraint” to keep border tensions from spinning out of control.

Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan delivered the message in phone calls to his Pakistani and Indian counterparts.

Tang said conflict between the two countries could hurt peace talks in Afghanistan as well as threaten regional stability, the China Daily newspaper and the website of the Communist Party newspaper, People’s Daily, said.

“It is in the interests of both Pakistan and India ... to exercise the utmost restraint and to ease their tensions as soon as possible,” Tang was quoted as telling Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar.

Peace in the region is key to the “smooth progress of the political solution of the Afghan issue”, Tang was quoted as telling Singh.

The report quoted both Sattar and Singh as saying they hoped for a negotiated settlement.

Tang also said China looks forward to a successful outcome to the SAARC summit.—APP