India's Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon held talks with senior Chinese officials in Beijing yesterday, paving the way for his Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's first visit to China.
While no date for Singh's visit has been announced, according to Menon's discussions with Chinese officials it could reportedly be in November or December.
It's also likely that Sonia Gandhi, head of India's ruling Congress party, will visit China next month.
Calling Menon an old friend, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan reflected on their joint work earlier that resulted in two agreements on Sino-Indian border issues. Tang said he believed that the former Indian ambassador to China will continue to push forward the strategic partnership in his current capacity.
Menon called on Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei, too, yesterday, and exchanged views on bilateral ties and other regional and international issues of common interest.
During Singh's proposed visit, India is expected to formally inaugurate a new consulate in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province. The office will look after India's interest in China's southern and southeastern provinces.
The new mission is the result of an agreement between Beijing and New Delhi under which India sets up a consulate in Guangzhou and China in the eastern Indian port city of Kolkata.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the 11th round of negotiations on the Sino-Indian border issue will be held in Beijing on Monday.
The three-day meeting will be co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and Indian National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan.
Indo-US nuke deal
Since China recently said it is willing to discuss the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal at the Nuclear Suppliers Group, it is widely believed that the topic will be high on Menon's agenda. No details, however, were available on what the two sides are likely to discuss.
Last week, Jiang had said that China has always believed that all countries have the right to cooperate on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, provided they abide by international obligations.
"We will participate in the discussions on relevant issues under this principle," Jiang said, referring to the Indian-US nuclear cooperation pact.
Source: China Daily
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