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Chinese premier: Sino－Indian ties enter new stage |
| CCTV.COM 2003-06-24 09:06:01 |
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 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has told visiting Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that bilateral relations have entered a new stage. On day one of Vajpayee's visit to China, the Indian prime minister held talks with the Chinese premier in Beijing. The first day's meeting also produced a number of cooperation documents signed between the two countries.
As the first Indian prime minister to set foot on Chinese soil in a decade, 79－year－old Atal Vajpayee was honored by the Chinese leadership with a gun salute at Tian'anmen Square.
As was widely expected, bilateral cooperation dominated the talks between the Indian and Chinese leaders. Premier Wen Jiabao told his guest that China did not regard India's development as a threat, and on the same basis, the development of China would not be a threat to any other countries.
Vajpayee told his Chinese host that his country values its cooperation with China. He said that he is looking forward to discussing bilateral ties and other issues of common concern with the Chinese leadership.
Both sides agreed that Vajpayee's visit would enhance mutual trust and understanding between the two neighbors, and help further promote their cooperation.
The two leaders also witnessed the signing of nine documents on Sino－Indian cooperation in various economic, legal and cultural fields, as well as in science and technology.
An Indian official accompanying Vajpayee said in Beijing that both India and China were dedicated to improving bilateral ties.
India Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said, "The prime minister of India, as I mentioned to you, said that he attached the greatest priority to developing relations with China and to imparting a new momentum to bilateral ties. And he said that on the meetings that he was having from the visit a clear signal to go to the peoples of the two countries and to the world that India and China have decided to fully utilize the substantial potential for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation."
Analysts say both India and China are likely to make the fastest progress in advancing and promoting business ties.
Trade between India and China has jumped to 5 billion U.S. dollars, compared to only 300 million U.S. dollars a decade ago. In the first four months of this year, bilateral trade increased by over 70 percent from the same period last year.
During his stay in Beijing, Prime Minister Vajpayee is also scheduled to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Jiang Zemin. His talks with President Hu will mark the third time the two statesmen have met in a month. After Beijing, Vajpayee's six－day trip will also take him to China's economic and financial center Shanghai.
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Editor: Yang Feiyang CCTV.com
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