Chinese leader coming to India

Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu will pay a two-day visit to India from March 26. The focus of his visit will be to study agricultural practices, officials of the Indian Embassy said in Beijing.

Besides India, the Chinese Vice Premier will visit Cambodia, Laos, Palestine and Israel. and India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang announced. Hui's visit is from March 17 to 28, at the invitation of Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Office of the Council of Ministers Sok An, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of Strategic Affairs Moshe Yaalon, and the Indian government, according to Qin.

It may be recalled that projecting Sino-India relations in a positive light, China on March 16 had expressed readiness to work with India as "good partners" and "good neighbours" to resolve pending issues like the border dispute. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang had said "the two countries have maintained high-level contacts and cooperation and exchanges in various fields and made significant progress".

He was responding to a question about Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao's comments in Washington that the relationship between India and China has improved significantly in the last two decades.

"Both the countries are committed to bilateral, good neighbourly and friendly relations on issues facing 21 century for common prosperity. China is ready to work with Indian side to enhance our relationship as good partners and good neighbours," he said.

- Asian Tribune -