India, China for strategic partnership |
India looks forward to strengthen its strategic partnership and mutual dialogue with China as the two sides held talks here amid differences over a host of issues including the $50 billion CPEC and India`s NSG membership bid. Minister of state for external affairs VK Singh met foreign minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers` meeting being held in Beijing to finalise the agenda for this year`s BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit to be held in September in China`s Xiamen city.They discussed steps to strengthen strategic relations on the directions laid down by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting at Astana recently. Wang referred to the fruitful and constructive meeting between Xi and Modi on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on June 8-9 at Astana. Singh said that external affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj wanted to visit Beijing but health and other restrictions did not permit her. Xi and Modi have `laid down directions for us and both the countries to proceed with a path of mutual respect, mutual cooperation on how to improve the existing mechanisms so that more trade, commerce and people to people contacts can take place, Singh said. Singh avoided making any reference to differences between the two countries.
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