Top Chinese Communist Party politburo leader visiting India

Han Zheng, member of the politburo of the Communist Party of China and party secretary of Shanghai, is visiting India from Thursday.

Han, who is coming on an invitation extended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, is being accompanied by a strong business delegation and will visit New Delhi, Agra, Bengaluru and Mumbai, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in his weekly media briefing here on Thursday.

"The visit is under the exchange programme between the ministry of external affairs of India and the international department of the Communist Party of China (MEA-IDCPC)," Swarup said.

"Following the institutionalisation and expansion of the MEA-IDCPC during the landmark visit of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi to China in May 2015, this is the highest level visit from China under this exchange programme."

The last visit from India under this programme was that of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in January this year.

Swarup explained that the MEA-IDCPC was an innovative programme that afforded the two countries the opportunity for interaction between states and provinces of India and China and catered to the specificities of the two political systems.

"It helps to enhance mutual understanding. Many senior leaders currently in China's leadership have visited India under this programme," he said.

"During his visit, Han Zheng will meet Indian leaders and interact with a cross-section of Indian political and business circles."

According to the spokesperson, it is expected that the interactions during Han's visit will contribute to further strengthening of the closer development partnership that was established during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India in 2014.

--IANS

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