Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will visit India and Sri Lanka from Sept. 7 to 10, at the invitation of the respective foreign affairs ministers of the two countries.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu made the announcement on Tuesday at a regular press conference.

She said it was Yang's first visit to India and Sri Lanka since taking office in April 2007. During his stay in India, he will hold talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and meet other Indian leaders.

While in Sri Lanka, Yang will hold talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and meet other Sri Lankan leaders.

Jiang said China-India relations have maintained a comprehensive development and sound momentum, featuring the establishment of the Sino-Indian strategic and cooperative partnership and the "Ten-item strategy."

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's successful visit to China earlier this year and the signing of a strategic joint statement, "A Shared Vision for the 21st Century of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of India," marked an important step in improving relations, she said.

"China and India are friendly neighbors, and both are large developing countries. The two sides have reached consensus that they were cooperative partners of mutual benefit, rather than rivals."

Jiang said the two nations maintained a peaceful coexistence and cooperation of mutual benefit and common development. This was in accordance with the long-term and fundamental interests of both countries and conducive to the peace and prosperity of the region and world.

Referring to the Sino-Sri Lanka relations, she said the two countries were traditional and friendly neighbors. Bilateral ties had continually progressed since the forging of diplomatic ties, featuring with the frequent high-level visits.

China is ready to work with Sri Lanka to continue pushing forward the neighborly cooperation, in a bid to further promote the bilateral comprehensive and cooperative partnership.

(Xinhua News Agency September 3, 2008)