Vice President Hamid Ansari to visit China this month

Vice President Hamid Ansari will travel to China this month to attend a special commemoration June 28 of 60 years of the Panchsheel treaty between the two countries.

His will be the first high-level visit to China after a new government took office in India late last month.

Ansari will attend the special function in Beijing, official sources told IANS.

China had expressed interest in having President Pranab Mukherjee attend the event to celebrate 60 years of Panchsheel, or the five principles of peace, enunciated by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1954.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Monday concluded two days of meetings with the new Indian government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He extended an invite to Modi from Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang to visit China, which the Indian prime minister accepted. The dates are yet to be fixed.

Wang's visit was Beijing's first contact with the new government, which China said has "brought a new wind of change".

Wang, who came as special envoy of President Xi Jinping, said his most important message to Modi was "on your road to national rejuvenation China stands by your side".

During his meeting with Modi, Wang conveyed a message from President Xi: "Under your leadership, India will achieve greater development and progress".

President Xi is also scheduled to visit India later this year. The dates are yet to be decided.