Talks between India and China foreign ministers cordial and substantive: MEA

New Delhi: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday. Wang, a special envoy of President Xi Jinping is in India to establish political contacts with the new Indian government amid hopes here of an upswing in bilateral ties due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's familiarity with China. Speaking to news reporters, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said that talks between the two leaders were- cordial, useful, productive and substantive. Yi expressed Beijing's willingness to engage with the new government in Delhi and said that China supports the development of India. Discussions also discussed itinerary for bilateral and multilateral level meeting during the course of the year. Terming the meeting as landmark, Akbaruddin said, "as the Chinese saying goes 'a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step' and that step was taken today." During the meeting, the leaders discussed the possibilities of furthering economic ties between the two nations, including increasing Chinese investments in India. Wang, 61, a seasoned diplomat will also meet Modi during his two-day visit. He is also expected to call on President Pranab Mukherjee and meet the new National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. This is the first contact between the two governments after the Lok Sabha election while Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has already spoken to Modi over phone soon after he was sworn in. During his visit, Wang will meet leading Indian officials and will have in-depth exchanges on how to push forward bilateral relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told media briefing here earlier. "India has formed a new government and China and India now face a new opportunities of development," he said. While the Chinese official media and state-run think tanks projected a new momentum in trade and economic ties between the two countries considering that Modi visited China four times as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Beijing also closely watched the new government's policy towards US and Japan, whom it regards as arch rivals. China is watching the countries Modi will be visiting on his first trip abroad considering that Li had made India his first destination abroad after taking power last year. Chinese media has highlighted Modi's plans to visit Bhutan first this month followed by Japan in July. Modi is expected to meet Xi at the BRICS summit in Brazil next month. Earlier China has expressed keen interest about the presence of President Mukherjee for celebrations marking 60 years of Panchsheel, the five principles of peace proposed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1954. The function is proposed to be held here on June 28. Also Xi has already expressed his interest in visiting India after the new government took over and the details may be discussed during Wang's visit while Modi also extended the invitation for the Chinese President during his telephone talks with Li. The new Chinese leadership is keen to improve relations with India in the face of serious challenges it faces over its maritime disputes with Japan in the East China Sea and with Vietnam, the Philippines and other maritime neighbours in the South China Sea amid a major US military push into the Asia-Pacific.