Xi calls for joint efforts to enrich China-India partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 15, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi here Saturday and the pair exchanged views on enriching their countries' partnership and enhancing cooperation within multilateral frameworks.

The development momentum of China-India ties is encouraging, and a healthy and stable China-India relationship is conducive not only to both countries' development, but to safeguarding the developing countries' reasonable interests in global governance and international systems, said Xi.

China and India should constantly enrich their strategic cooperative partnership and chart the course of bilateral ties in line with the fundamental interests of their peoples, added the Chinese president.

The two countries should maintain high-level communication and dialogue at all levels so as to expand consensus, improve mutual trust and deepen cooperation, he said, adding that they should also raise the level of cooperation in various fields and continue to push forward cooperation on major projects such as railway and industrial parks.

China and India should consolidate pubic support for bilateral friendship by boosting exchanges between their political parties, local governments, think tanks, cultural bodies and media organizations, Xi said.

Meanwhile, the two countries should support each other in participating in regional affairs and enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the East Asia Summit, he added.

Meeting Modi in the western Indian state of Goa on the sidelines of the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Xi said the Chinese side is willing to work with India to carry on the positive momentum of last month's Group of 20 summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou and push for positive results of the BRICS summit in Goa, so as to send out a positive signal of confidence, solidarity and cooperation.

The Chinese president also called for joint BRICS efforts to deepen practical cooperation and elevate cooperation to higher levels, as well as to strengthen communication and coordination on major international issues so as to safeguard their common interests.

China, which will hold the rotating chair in 2017, is willing to work with India and other BRICS members to successfully host the ninth BRICS summit next year, Xi added.

For his part, Modi said it is in the two countries' as well as the region's common interests for India and China to maintain frequent high-level exchanges and strategic communication.

India and China have the responsibility to join hands and turn the 21st century into an Asian century, said the prime minister.

India is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks including BRICS and the SCO, Modi said, adding that his country supports China in hosting the BRICS summit next year.

India is the last stop of Xi's ongoing Asia tour, which has already taken him to Cambodia and Bangladesh.