BEIJING (Reuters) -China welcomes and supports efforts by Pakistan and India to handle their differences through dialogue and to achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Until now, China had no opportunity to test its platforms in a combat situation," Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in the Chinese People's Liberation Army, told the BBC. The Beijing-based analyst said the outcome of the air duel showed "China has some systems that are next to none".

Pakistan and China agreed to maintain close communication and coordination at all levels, Islamabad said on Wednesday following a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in Beijing.