Chinese and Indian top lawmakers signed a document in Beijing
Monday, officially launching regular exchanges between the two
parliaments.
Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's
National People's Congress (NPC), and Somnath Chatterjee, speaker
of India's House of the People, signed a memorandum of
understanding after an hour-long talk.
The two parliaments have agreed to hold official consultations
once a year to discuss issues concerning parliamentary exchanges,
according to the memorandum.
Sources with NPC Standing Committee said that China has similar
arrangements with the United States, Russia, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Canada and the European parliament.
The two legislators also reviewed the development of China-India
relations, agreeing that the development of bilateral friendly ties
serves the common interests of the two countries and will help
promote peace, stability and development in Asia as well as the
whole world.
"To promote good-neighborly friendly cooperative relations with
India is our established policy," Wu told Chatterjee at the
meeting.
He said China is ready to work together with India to intensify
bilateral cooperation and improve coordination in international and
regional affairs and to continuously strengthen bilateral strategic
cooperative partnership.
In response, Chatterjee said the development of India-China ties
is a common aspiration among the Indian government, parliament,
parties and civil society.
The two also extolled parliamentary cooperation and agreed to
maintain high-level visits and improve exchanges between the
special committees of the two parliaments so as to promote
bilateral ties.
(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2006)
