CPI(M), CPC to promote stronger India-China relations

Anantha Krishnan (The Hindu)

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of China have agreed to strengthen exchanges and to work together to promote the development of India-China relations, officials from both parties have said.

Sitaram Yechury, member of the Polit Bureau of the CPI(M), held talks with senior CPC officials, including China's top diplomat and State Councilor Dai Bingguo here on Thursday.

Mr. Dai told Mr. Yechury China wanted to increase mutual trust with India and take forward bilateral ties “from a long-term strategic standpoint”, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Bilateral relationship had maintained “a good momentum of development and faces unprecedented advancement opportunities,” added Mr. Dai, who is also a member of the CPC's Central Committee and is China's highest-ranked official on foreign policy issues.

The Chinese diplomat said as the “two biggest emerging and developing countries”, India and China needed to strengthen communication and cooperation and help promote “the overall competitiveness and influence of developing countries”.

In recent years, the CPC has pushed forward party-to-party exchanges with Indian political parties from across the political spectrum, inviting officials from the Congress and more recently, hosting BJP president Nitin Gadkari in January.

The CPC, however, has particularly close historical ties with the CPI(M). Mr. Yechury said the CPI(M) “valued its traditional friendship with the CPC” and was ready to expand exchanges “to promote a sound and stable development of India-China relations”.

“The Communist Party of India hopes to play a positive role in maintaining the good development of bilateral relations and help further ties between the two sides,” Xinhua quoted Mr. Yechury as saying.