Chinese VP to visit India next week

Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao will visit India next week during which he will hold talks with the top Indian leadership to inject new momentum in bilateral ties that have seen "sound and stable" development, it was announced today.

Li's five-day visit from November 3 is aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing here.

During the visit, Li will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Hamid Ansari and other Indian leaders, Lu said.

His visit will be followed by China's highest ranking military official Gen Fan Changlong's trip to New Delhi.

Fan's visit is expected to take place in the middle of next month. He will be visiting both India and Pakistan.

Li's visit is yet another opportunity for interaction between the two sides to further implement the consensus reached between Chinese and Indian leaders and carry forward the Sino-India friendship, deepen bilateral cooperation and inject new momentum in bilateral ties, Lu said.

"With concerted efforts strategic partnership of cooperation between China and India for peace and prosperity has seen sound and stable development. The two sides have deeper exchanges of cooperation and maintained sound coordination on regional and international affairs," he said.

The leaders of both sides have agreed to deepen cooperation and have even closer partnership for development, he added.

"The Chinese side always views bilateral ties from strategic and long term perspective," Lu said.

China viewed India's development as an opportunity and would like to work with India to implement bilateral consensus and move the strategic partnership for cooperation to a new high, he said.