Chinese, Indian FMs hold talks on building closer ties

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi, India, June 8, 2014. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in New Delhi on Sunday that China is willing to build closer and more comprehensive relations of partnership with India.

During his meeting with Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Wang said that China and India are two important forces which are on the ascendancy in the process of multi- polarization of the world, and Sino-India ties are a bilateral relationship with great dynamics and potentials in the 21st century.

Wang said that the governments of China and India share similar ideas of governance and the two countries have a convergence of their strategies of development, as both countries are seeking to realize their dreams of national resurrection.

Wang said that after the new government of India was elected and sworn in, Sino-India relations are facing a new start and new opportunities. Therefore, as the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, he came to India to emphasize that China welcomes, supports and wishes for India's development.

"China is willing to build closer, more comprehensive relationship of development and partnership, in order to hold hand with India to realize peaceful development, cooperative development and sustainable development," said the Chinese foreign minister.

"This will not only bring to substantiality of our relationship of strategic cooperative partnership oriented towards peace and prosperity, but also help contribute to the national resurrection of our respective countries and the cause of regional as well as global peace and development," he added.

For her part, Swaraj said that soon after the swearing in of the new Indian government, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India highly appreciated the visit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi to India as special envoy of President Xi Jinping.

She said China is a big power with great influence in the world, as well as the second largest economy in the world. The new Indian government attaches great importance to relations with China, and will carry out a positive policy toward China and upgrade the relations to a higher level, which is also in conformity with the strong hope of Indian people.

The two sides also agreed upon the following points in deepening bilateral ties:

First, the two countries will maintain the momentum of exchange of high-level visits, strengthen strategic coordination on bilateral relations and work out strategic plans, in order give guidelines to the development of bilateral relations.

The two countries will carry out commemorative activities for the 60th anniversary of the declaration by China, India and Myanmar of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence or Panchsheel, in order to inherit and spread the spirit of the principles.

Secondly, the two countries will make strides forward of pragmatic cooperation. The two countries will try to realize the convergence of the two huge markets of China and India, promote regional economic integration, and create a new pole of growth for world economy. The two countries will quicken the construction of connectivities between them, let India's "Look Eastward" policy meet with China's acceleration of opening its western regions, and commonly work for the construction of Bangladesh-China-India- Myanmar economic corridor. The two sides will also expand trade and investment scales and seek common development.

Thirdly, the two countries will deepen exchanges of humanity and culture. The two sides will hold various activities during the "China-India Year of Friendly Exchanges", increase exchanges of youths, media, sister cities and expertise.

The two sides will also simplify visa issuing process for each other's citizens, in order to facilitate for the exchanges of personnel between the two countries.

Fourthly, the two sides will properly handle the border issue. The two sides agreed that over the past few decades, the border issue between the two countries was put under effective control and management due to the common efforts of the two countries, which has provided environment conducive to each other's development.

The two sides agreed that the two countries should stick to bilateral negotiations as the way to solve border disputes, and ensure that the border issue does not hamper development of relations, and maintain peace and tranquillity at the border regions before the final solution is found to the border issue.