NEW DELHI — Indian and Chinese troops faced off along their Himalayan border Thursday as the countries' leaders held a rare meeting in New Delhi, promising to boost economic cooperation and substantially increase Chinese investment in India's infrastructure.
The long-festering border dispute is a stark reminder of the complicated relationship between the two Asian giants as they try to increase trade and investment.
After talks that lasted more than two hours, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said peace and stability along the border were necessary for economic growth and development in the region.
India's worries about the frequent standoffs on the border came up at the meeting.
"I raised our serious concerns over repeated incidents along the border," Modi told a news conference, with Xi by his side.
"Peace and tranquility in the border region constitutes an essential foundation for mutual trust and confidence for realizing the full potential of our relationship," he said.
Suspicions between the two countries, which between them have 2.6 billion people, date from a month-long border war in 1962 that left about 2,000 soldiers dead. That conflict ended in a standoff with each side accusing the other of occupying its territory.
This week, Indian officials said Chinese soldiers had entered Indian territory in the Ladakh region in Indian-held Kashmir and appeared to be building a road in the region.
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