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China criticises India's statements at border talks

China used low-level border negotiations with India to criticise New Delhi for portraying Beijing as a security threat to justify its nuclear tests, a Chinese foreign ministry official said today.

Diplomats and military experts made no progress during the talks on Monday and Tuesday to resolve the disputed border, foreign ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said.

Instead, negotiators used the talks, the sixth round of discussions and the first since India's nuclear explosions last month, to "emphatically exchange views'' on relations, Zhu said.

"The Chinese side pointed out that recently, Indian leaders repeatedly issued remarks slandering China, seriously hurting the feelings of the Chinese people and undermining the sound atmosphere for improving bilateral relations,'' Zhu said at a news briefing.

An Indian embassy spokesman said India's negotiators did not trade condemnations and their Chinese counterparts were not wholly unwilling to discuss the issues of resolving the disputed boundary and easing tensions on the border.

"It is really not a question of accepting allegations of the so-called slander statements,'' said the spokesman, Krishan Varma.

"They had their statement, and we urged them to continue making progress.''

During the latest talks, "the Chinese side strongly urged the Indian side to immediately stop all unwarranted accusations against China and act concretely'' to restore relations, Zhu said.

UNI

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