China, India relations of great importance - Xi
CHINA: In his first direct comments on relations with India, China's
new leader Xi Jinping has assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that his
country would pay “great importance” to developing bilateral ties as
their cooperation has brought “substantial benefits” to both sides.
“China will, as it has been doing, pay great importance to developing
relations with India and expects to carry out close cooperation with
India to create a brighter future of their bilateral relations,” Xi
wrote in a letter to Singh which was delivered to him by top Chinese
diplomat Dai Bingguo in New Delhi on January 11.
“China-India relations have maintained stable development in the past
few years, which has brought about substantial benefits to the two
countries and the two peoples,” state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Xi
as saying.
He said the world has enough space for China and India to achieve
common development.
Dai, China's chief negotiator in border talks with India, was in New
Delhi last week to attend the Brazil-Russia-India- -China-South Africa
(BRICS) security officials’ meeting. Xi's letter was stated to be in
response to a letter from Singh after his election as the General
Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) succeeding Hu
Jintao.
Singh's letter conveying his greetings to the new Chinese leadership
as well as assurance to carry forward the relations was handed over by
National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon last month when he visited
Beijing.
Dai would be retiring from the post of State Councillor and top
diplomat of China after a decade-long stint during which he held 15
rounds of talks with Menon and several of his predecessors.
DECCAN HERALD
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