Indian Ruling Party Welcomes Visit of China's NPC ChairmanIndia's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has expressed its warm welcome to a forthcoming visit by Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China, saying diplomacy between the two neighbors is on the "fast track."Jana Krishnamurthy, vice president and spokesman of the BJP, said here on Thursday that New Delhi is determined to build bridges and resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries. It was officially announced both in New Delhi and Beijing that Li, who last visited India as Chinese premier in 1991, would pay a nine-day visit to this South Asian country beginning January 9, 2001. China said on Thursday that a "normal, healthy and good-neighborly" relationship with India is of "great significance" for peace and development in Asia and the world in general. Krishnamurthy expressed his hope that the visit would lead to better understanding between the two countries on international affairs as well as bilateral issues, adding that there is also possibility of party-to-party contacts between the BJP and the Communist Party of China (CPC). Relations between China and India have improved in recent months, resulting in an increase of high-level visits. Indian President Kocheril Raman Narayanan visited China last May, during which he held talks with China's top leaders including Chinese President and CPC General Secretary Jiang Zemin, Li Peng and Premier Zhu Rongji. |
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