Vijender Singh is willing to give up his belt for peace. (Punit Paranj / AFP / Getty Images)

Call it fighting for peace.

An boxer from India celebrated his championship victory Saturday by offering to give his belt to his vanquished opponent from China, a gesture of friendship with the fighters’ countries locked in a border dispute since June.

Vijender Singh, who shared a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics, beat Zulpikar Maimaitiali on points in Mumbai, retaining his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title and taking Maimaitiali’s WBO Oriental super middleweight belt. He dedicated his win to the “Indian-China friendship.” Tensions between the two countries are rising because of a dispute over China’s attempt to extend a road through a frontier border.

“I don’t want this title. I will give it back to Zulpikar,” Singh said (via the Guardian). “I don’t want tension on the border. It’s a message of peace. That’s important.”

[China warns India to pull back troops]

Late last month, China warned India not to “push your luck” by underestimating Beijing’s determination to protect what it believes is sovereign territory high in the Himalayas. Although India has called for a negotiated settlement and both sides have shown restraint as Chinese troops work to extend the road from Yadong in Tibet, rhetoric has grown increasingly heated of late.

The two countries, which share a largely contested, 2,174-mile border, fought a brief war in 1962. Since then, China has been an ally and arms supplier for Pakistan, India’s rival.