Eminent Persons Discuss Indo-China RelationsFormer diplomats and scholars from China and India exchanged their views on further strengthening relations between the two neighbors at the first meeting of the China-India Eminent Persons' Group (CIEPG), which opened Monday in New Delhi.In their messages to the meeting, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his Chinese counterpart Zhu Rongji expressed their belief that the meeting would contribute to China-India friendly relations and cooperation in the new century. "India and China have a rich historical, cultural and spiritual association, renewed in modern times after India and China re-established their independent identities," Vajpayee said in his message, read out by Indian chairman of the group, R. L. Bhatia, who is also a member of Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament. As two most populous nations in the world, Vajpayee said, India and China shared a common aspiration to give their peoples a better and more prosperous future. "India will remain committed to developing friendly, cooperative and good neighborly relations with China on the basis of Panchsheel (Five Principles of Peace Coexistence), mutual sensitivity to each other's concerns and equality," the Indian leader said. Interaction and dialogue between India and China would contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability and progress in Asia and the World, he added. In his message to the meeting, Premier Zhu Rongji said the Chinese government had always attached importance to developing good-neighborly and friendly relations and cooperation with India and dedicated itself to enhancing exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples. CIEPC, which serves as an important advisory agency for the two governments, was set up on consensus between Chinese President Jiang Zemin and India President Kocheril Raman Narayana during the latter's visit to China in May, 2000. The group, which consists of eminent persons from the political, economic, scientific and technological and cultural communities of China and India, would discuss strengthening of communications and cooperation between the two countries during its three-day meeting here. The group, based on consensus reached, would offer advice and suggestions to their respective government, said the message, which was read out by the head of the Chinese delegation, Mr. Liu Shuqing, who was also former Vice Foreign Minister of China. The group, Mr. Zhu said in his message, was undoubtedly an essential supplement to the exiting official channels between the two countries and would serve as a bridge between China and India in deepening mutual understanding and trust and in promoting exchanges and cooperation in all areas. At the first day meeting, the ex-diplomats and scholars from both sides exchanged their views on further strengthening contacts between the two neighbors officially and at the people-to-people level in the fields of politics, culture, economy as well as media and science and technology. |
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