China comments on India's accidental firing of missile into Pakistan, calls for thorough 'probe'

"Pakistan and India are both important countries in South Asia, bearing responsibilities for maintaining regional security and stability," China said.

Beijing: China on Monday said India and Pakistan should hold dialogue as soon as possible and launch a "thorough" investigation into the recent 'accidental firing' of a missile from India which landed in Pakistan's Punjab province.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, during a media briefing here, said both Pakistan and India are important countries in South Asia and they share the responsibility to uphold regional security and stability.

Asked by a Pakistani journalist about China's response to the 'accidental firing' of the Indian missile, he said: 'We have noted the relevant information'.

"Pakistan and India are both important countries in South Asia, bearing responsibilities for maintaining regional security and stability," he said.

"China calls on the countries to hold dialogue and communication as soon as possible, and look thoroughly into the incident, step up information sharing, and promptly establish a reporting mechanism so that such incidents will not happen again, and misunderstanding and misjudgement can be avoided," he said in revised comments posted on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.