China vows to enhance cooperation with India

UFA - China vows to enhance cooperation with India, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday in the southwestern Russian city of Ufa. Xi made the remarks during a meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi ahead of BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization summits. China and India reached an important consensus in China's Xi'an City in May that the two countries will enrich the connotation of China-India strategic partnership and build a closer partnership, Xi pointed out. Through the joint efforts by both sides, the consensus has been implemented, and cooperation on the two legislative bodies, railways, industrial parks, smart city and other areas has been carried out steadily, Xi said. At present, Xi stressed, the two sides should work together to maintain the good development momentum of China-India relationship, and create a new situation of mutual benefit and cooperation. The two sides should maintain high-level contacts, strengthen the strategic communication at all levels; they should also set China-India cooperation flagship projects and make researches on the feasibility of major cooperation projects according to plans; the two countries should carry out cultural exchange programs and cooperate on think tank, media and local cooperation; China and India should also properly control differences, and make joint efforts to maintain peace in the border areas; the two countries should also join hands to promote the development of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), BRICS Development Bank as well as the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, and to explore an effective docking between China's "One Belt One Road" Initiative and India's related proposals, thus to achieve mutually-beneficial cooperation and common development, Xi stressed. As staunch supporters and builders of the BRICS countries, China and India should work together to build a closer, more comprehensive and solid partnership among BRICS countries, Xi added. Modi said that the current China-India relationship has developed well and the mutual trust has also been enhanced. Bilateral economic and trade cooperation has been further expanded and cooperation projects in technology, space and infrastructure have been advanced in recent years, according to Modi. India welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest in India; India is ready to strengthen strategic communication and coordination with China and properly handle the differences between the two countries like border issues, he added. India is also willing to strengthen cooperation with China within the framework of the BRICS countries; the establishment of BRICS Development Bank and the AIIB has provided more opportunities for the two countries to deepen their cooperation, and India is willing to actively participate in the construction and cooperation projects of the mentioned banks, Modi said. It is the fourth bilateral meeting between the two leaders since their first in Fortaleza, Brazil, last July. Respectively in September 2014 and May 2015, Xi and Modi visited each other's country, including each other's hometown. –Reuters