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Li Peng visit to strengthen Sino-Indian ties

China Wednesday said a "normal, healthy and good-neighbourly" relationship with India has "great significance" for peace and development of Asia and the world.

Announcing the 'official goodwill' visit of former Chinese Premier Li Peng to India from January 9, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhang Qiyue said, "The upcoming visit of the senior Chinese leader would be yet another high-level contact between the two neighbouring countries in recent times."

"A normal, healthy and stable good-neighbourly relationship and friendly cooperation between China and India is of great significance to peace and development of Asia and the world at large," Zhang told reporters.

Li, the current chairman of the National People's Congress who last visited India in 1991 in his capacity as Chinese premier, will be undertaking the 'exclusive' visit to India from January 9 to 16 at the invitation of Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi and Rajya Sabha chairman and Vice President Krishan Kant.

"The visit will further strengthen contacts between China and India and exchanges between China's National People's Congress (China's Parliament) and India's Parliament," she said.

Zhang also said that Li's visit will also enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples and promote continued healthy and stable development of good-neighbourly relations and friendly cooperation between the two countries.

"China and India, the two largest developing nations in the world, have jointly initiated the five principles of peaceful co-existence," Zhang said while recalling the ' Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai' era in the 1950s.

Zhang noted that Li's visit follows the 1996 state visit to India by Chinese President Jiang Zemin and the return visit by President K R Narayanan in May this year.

Li's visit to India will make him the senior-most Chinese leader to visit India after relations between the two Asian giants were seriously impaired after the Indian nuclear tests of May 1998.

During his stay in Delhi, Li will meet with the top Indian leadership, including the President, vice-President, prime minister and discuss bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern, official sources said.

During his week-long tour of India, Li will also visit Bombay, Bangalore, Mysore and Agra and meet a wide range of people to enhance mutual understanding between the people of the two neighbouring nations, a Chinese foreign ministry source said.

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