China is devoted to establishing along-term constructive cooperative partnership with India and bilateral relations between the two countries are enjoying sound development, said Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing in Beijing Wednesday during a meeting with Indian Ambassador to China Nalin Surie.  

Li Zhaoxing said China welcomes and appreciates Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha's speech on its policy regarding China.

Li stressed that Sino-Indian relations are facing a great opportunity for development. In political areas, exchanges of high-level visits are frequent and mutual trust has deepened, and in economic areas, bilateral trade volume is expected to be over US$7 billion this year, Li said. Trade volume of US$10 billion, a target set by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, can be realized before 2005. In addition, special representatives of the two sides on border issues have held their first round of talks.

China and India, with great changes taking place in the international situation, have cooperated with each other and shared views on many international issues including economic globalization, anti-terrorism, human rights and environmental protection.

Li said the two countries supported the building of fair and rational political and economic world orders and the strengthening of the United Nations' role and authority, and actively participated in regional economic cooperation.

China hoped to enhance cooperation of the two countries in international organizations including the United Nations and World Trade Organization, Li said.

"I'm confident in the future development of bilateral relations between China and India," he said.

"To develop friendly and cooperative relations is the long-term policy of the Indian government," Surie said.

India and China are the two largest developing countries in the world, Surie said, and strengthening cooperation is not only in the interest of developing countries but also beneficial to peace and stability of the region as well as the whole world.

(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2003)