President Hu Jintao met in New Delhi on Tuesday with Sonia
Gandhi, president of the All Indian National Congress (AINC) of
India.
Speaking highly of the important progress made in recent years
in the development of bilateral ties, Hu said the Chinese side
would work with the Indian side to raise the bilateral strategic
and cooperative partnership to a new high.
While highly valuing the AINC's important contributions to the
development of Sino-Indian relations, he noted that the
establishment of the bilateral partnership demonstrated the wisdom
of the AINC leaders.
Hu said that the Communist Party of China (CPC) enjoyed sound
exchanges with the AINC and he was convinced that the AINC would,
under Sonia Gandhi's leadership, make new contributions to the
development of bilateral relations.
Sonia Gandhi said the AINC and the Indian people held that the
development of bilateral relations had brought and would continue
to bring important benefits to the two countries and their
peoples.
She said it would benefit the two countries and their peoples to
strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of politics, economy,
science, technology, culture and defense.
She said the AINC would make positive efforts to push forward
the bilateral partnership, and it would further party-to-party
exchanges with the CPC.
Hu arrived here on Monday evening for a state visit at the
invitation of Indian President Abdul Kalam.
This is the first visit to India by a Chinese head of state in
10 years.
India is the third leg of Hu's four-nation tour, which has
already taken him to Vietnam and Laos, and will also take him to
Pakistan.
He also attended the 14th APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation) Economic Leaders' Meeting from November 17 to 19 in
Hanoi, capital of Vietnam.
(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2006)
