India's Modi invites Chinese president to visit

Chinese premier conveyed the Chinese government's desire to establish robust partnership with India's new government.


Reuters May 29, 2014
15th Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday to visit, seeking greater engagement between the world's two most populous nations on trade and regional security.

Modi extended the invitation when he spoke by telephone with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who had called to congratulate him on his victory in India's general election, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The Hindu nationalist won election by a landslide, ending a decade of rule by the Congress party that for most of the time since Indian independence in 1947 has been associated with a policy of non-alignment.

Li "conveyed the Chinese government's desire to establish robust partnership" with India's new government, the statement said.

Modi said he was keen to work closely with the Chinese leadership to deal with any outstanding issues, adding that he "welcomed greater economic engagement between the two countries".

No official statement was issued in Beijing. The last Chinese head of state to visit India was Hu Jintao in 2012.

Modi invited South Asian leaders to his inauguration on Monday, turning the event into an informal regional summit. He is keen to rebalance relations between New Delhi and Beijing that have long been marked by suspicion.

China's closest ally in the region is India's traditional foe, Pakistan, whose prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, attended the inauguration.

China and India fought a brief Himalayan war in 1962 that India lost. Tensions have occasionally flared on their common border, which runs for a total of nearly 3,400 km (2,100 miles) and is still partly in dispute.

India runs a $40 billion bilateral trade deficit with China, and Modi is expected to seek greater market access to reduce that gap. China's own embrace of an export-led model has helped its economy outgrow India's fourfold since 1980.

COMMENTS (31)

Last Word | 9 years ago | Reply

Modi is clearly showing shift in foreign policy of improving relations with China on equality basis and drifting away from US due its cold shouldering him in the past which is bad news both for Obama and Sharif. India's trade with China shall cross 100 billion dollars mark soon and Modi will also aim for defence cooperation to ease border tension leaving Pakistan in the cold.

Dhanish | 9 years ago | Reply

@mohummad riaz wan alim india did not interfere in any of China's matter. The British Drew the boundary mcmohan line as our border. The china doesn't recognise the British line. They claimed it their territory and attacked. When previously it was decided we would move back our forces and be peaceful, they violated it. So I don't know what matters you are talking about. If anything they were the ones that interfered in our country's matter and violated mcmohan line. And china is no fool to attack india and lose billions of dollars plus attack a nuclear armed country which is friends with all of China's enemies-japan,Vietnam,philiphines,South Korea etc who china has disputes with along with australia and USA that form a group.

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