China on Wednesday said it had "noted" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on maintaining "close communication through diplomatic and military channels" on issues related to the border.

Asked for China’s response to the Prime Minister’s remarks, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: "China noted Prime Minister Modi’s remarks. Sound and stable China-India relations serve the interests of both countries and are conducive to peace and development in the region and beyond. The boundary question does not represent the entirety of China-India relations, and it should be placed appropriately in bilateral relations and managed properly.

"China and India maintain close communication through diplomatic and military channels on handling issues related to the border situation and have made positive progress. We hope that India will work with China, approach the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, keep building trust and engaging in dialogue and cooperation, and seek to handle differences appropriately to put the relationship on a sound and stable track."

Sensing a bid by the Prime Minister to dilute India’s stated position on China, the Congress said: "...The Prime Minister was at his cowardly worst. His only comment on China’s repeated infringements on Indian sovereignty was that the India-China border situation needs to be addressed urgently to resolve the 'abnormality' in the bilateral interactions."