China to be honoured guest at Delhi Book Fair

Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday said China will participate in the Delhi Book Fair and the Goa Film Festival as an "honoured" guest.

"The two sides have agreed to expand people to people and cultural exchanges to carry forward the traditional friendship," Xi said after official talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

"Both sides have proposed India-China cultural exchange programme that covers many things from culture to education, from tourism to films to youth and religious affairs," he said.

In this regard, he said: "China will participate in the Goa Film Festival and the Delhi Book Fair as an honoured guest."

To strengthen exchanges in movies, broadcasting and television shows an audio-visual co-production MoU was signed to facilitate joint production of movies.

"...and over the (next) five years India will help China train 1,500 English teachers and we will send 500 of our Chinese language teachers to India," Xi said.

The Chinese president also said in the next five years the two sides will organise "mutual visits" of 2,000 young Chinese and Indian people.

In the discussion between Modi and Xi, it was also decided that an exhibition of Buddhist art and contemporary Indian art will be organised in China in 2014-15.

Xi is on a three-day official visit to India. He arrived in Ahmedabad Wednesday and flew to Delhi later in the night.