Li Peng Meets Sonia Gandhi

Li Peng Meets Sonia Gandhi

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Li Peng, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, met with Sonia Gandhi, president of India's National Congress Party on Friday, January 12 and thanked her for her efforts in the development of friendly ties between China and India.

Li Peng, who is here on a week-long official good-will visit, also congratulated Sonia Gandhi on being re-elected President of the Congress Party.

He said that China and India have a long history of friendly relations but there were twists and turns between the them in the 1950s and 1960s. The late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit to China in 1988 was an important turning point, marking the improvement and development of the two countries' relations, Li recalled.

"Whenever we recalled the history of the relations between China and India," Li Peng said, "we will remember him for his significant contributions during his life time." Rajiv Gandhi was an outstanding Indian politician, as well as a great friend of China, he added.

Sonia Gandhi was very glad to meet Li Peng and said she was so moved that Chinese leaders and Chinese people still remember her husband's efforts in improving the relations between India and China.

Li Peng said that the National Congress Party, with a history of over 100 years, has made great contributions to India's independence, as well as to its political, economic and social development and is an important force on India's political stage.

The Chinese Communist Party and the National Congress Party of India have always kept friendly exchanges and close ties and each party has made its own contributions to the development of the relationship between the two countries.

He hoped that the two parties will continue to regard the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, initiated by the late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and the late Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, as a yardstick to deal with the relations between the two countries.

Sonia Gandhi agreed with Li Peng's view and said that the Congress Party of India will continue to make contributions to the improvement and enhancement of the ties between the two countries.

Li Peng said that the Chinese Communist Party shares similar opinion on the historic trend of political multi-polarization and economic globalization with various parties of India and "will further strengthen cooperation with the National Congress Party and other Indian parties to explore a better future of relationship between China and India."