New Delhi: Seeking to cement their strategic and cooperative partnership, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to India later this year as the two Asian giants today vowed to adhere to Panchsheel and increase high-level exchanges to take their bilateral ties to a “new high”.
During the just-concluded visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to New Delhi as Xi's Special Envoy, the top diplomat conveyed to the Indian leadership that the Chinese President will visit India later this year, Chinese Ambassador to India Wei Wei announced.
Addressing a reception here to mark the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence or Panchsheel, Wei said that during Wang's talks here, he “conveyed important messages from the Chinese leadership to the Indian leaders, invited the Indian leader to attend the commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Panchsheel and made it clear that President Xi will pay a state visit to India late this year.”
Wei however, did not provide a date for Xi's proposed visit to India at the event, also attended by Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh.
Xi, 60, took over the reigns last year in the once-in-a- decade-leadership change, has quickly emerged as the most powerful leader in China as the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party, the President of the People's Republic and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had paid a state visit to India in May last year. He had chosen India as his first destination after assuming charge in March last year.
Wei noted that China believes that the new Indian government has put development as its priority.
“China is an opportunity for India in light of China's advantage in the fields of manufacturing and infrastructure construction,” he said.
“The Chinese side is willing to join hands with the new government of India and promote the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership to a new high,” Wei said.
“We believe that as long as China and India adhere to the Panchsheel with mutual respect, equality, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development, we will realise our dreams and make new positive contributions to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world,” he said.
Foreign Secretary Singh said Foreign Minister Wang's discussions with the leadership here were “cordial, substantive and productive.”
“The visit was part of the ongoing exchanges with China and such exchanges will only increase in the next few months,” she said
Singh said she was confident that the ‘Year of Friendly Exchanges' that India and China have decided to hold jointly will help “forge a closer and stronger” relations between the two countries.
