China and India have made “great positive progress to resolve the border standoff, with both sides maintaining close communication, a senior foreign ministry official said on Friday.

“About the border issue, I can tell you that China and India are remaining in close communication through diplomatic and military channels and great positive progress has been made,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao said.

“We also believe that a healthy China and India relations serve the interests of the two countries,” she further said.

“China hopes that India will work in the same direction with China to properly manage the differences and promote the bilateral relations forward on a healthy stable track,” Mao added.

Earlier in an interview with Newsweek magazine, PM Modi expressed hope that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, the two countries will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquillity at their borders.

“It is my belief that we need to urgently address the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us,” Modi said. “Stable and peaceful relations between India and China are important for not just our two countries but the entire region and world,” he further said.

Mao while responding to a question on Modi’s interview on Thursday said that 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,” she said.