China, India to take ties to ‘new stage’
March 17, 2013, 9:48 am

China’s new Premier Li Keqiang said the world has enough room for both India and China to realise their common goals for development [Getty Images]

China’s new Premier Li Keqiang told his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh in a telephone conversation that enhanced bilateral cooperation would contribute to enlarging the two countries’ space for development and common interests.

During the conversation, Singh, congratulated Li on his endorsment as Chinese premier.

The Indian prime minister said bilateral ties over the past few years have seen a comprehensive development and continuous progress in cooperation and exchanges in various fields.

He also said the world has enough room for both India and China to realise their common goals for development.

India is willing to work with the new Chinese leadership so that the two countries could set an example for state-to-state relations in the 21st century, Singh said.

Li pointed out that China and India are the two largest Asian powers, and are also two ancient civilizations and emerging economies.

He said the two countries can facilitate a sustainable economic and social development. This will promote a better livelihood of more than two billion people in the two countries, which bears a great significance for the whole world, Li noted.

Li was endorsed as Chinese premier on Friday morning at the ongoing session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature.

Nearly 3,000 NPC deputies voted to approve the nomination of Li, by newly-elected President Xi Jinping, as the candidate for premier at the legislative session.

The Indian prime minister is due to meet newly elected Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit due to be held in Durban in South Africa on March 26-27.

In January, Xi, also the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, had written to Dr Singh, assuring that his country would pay “great importance” to developing bilateral ties with India as their cooperation has brought “substantial benefits” to both sides.

“China will, as it has been doing, pay great importance to developing relations with India and expects to carry out close cooperation with India to create a brighter future of their bilateral relations,” Xi had said in a letter to Dr Singh.

Source: Agencies