India seeks friendship with both China and Japan, Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Friday during a trip to the two countries which have a growing rivalry with each other.
Mukherjee held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe a day after signing an agreement to boost military exchanges.
"I have emphasized the important friendship in Japan-India relations, when an old friendship free of conflict is acquiring a new strategic orientation," Mukherjee told a news conference.
"India attaches the highest priority to strengthen its relations with Japan, a friendly nation and a leading economic power," he said.
Japanese leaders have called repeatedly for warmer relations with India to balance off China, which remains hostile to Tokyo largely over the legacy of occupation in the 1930s and 1940s.
But China has also been seeking to mend sour ties with India, with which it fought a brief war in 1962. The Asian giants have yet to delineate a formal border.
Mukherjee said that India wanted "tension-free good relations" with all its neighbors and was committed to dialogue with both China and historic rival Pakistan.
"We firmly believe that as we are to live with our neighbors, it is desirable that we should live in peace," said Mukherjee, who heads to China on Sunday.
"We try to resolve the outstanding issues amongst the nations through debate, dialogue and discussion," he said.
