India, China to enhance academic exchanges, tourism

The foreign ministers of India and China discuss steps to deepen ties through academic exchanges and tourism even as they vie for influence with their smaller neighbors.

India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar says in a tweet that Sushma Swaraj and Wang Yi at their meeting Friday in New Delhi took up enhancing cooperation in tourism, art, film, media, culture, yoga, sports, academic and youth exchanges.

A series of recent India-China meetings have eased tensions along their contested border after last year’s 10-week standoff in the neighboring state of Bhutan. The countries fought a border war in 1962.

New Delhi has been keenly watching China’s moves to build strategic and economic ties with Indian Ocean nations including Sri Lanka, the Maldives and longtime rival Pakistan.