'India is ready to write new chapter of ties with China'

Beijing: India is ready to write a new chapter of its relationship with China and the two countries should align their positions in many areas despite differences, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said on the eve of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to India. "This visit is special because it is the first visit abroad by the Chinese premier since he assumed office in March. The relationship between our two countries are now sound and good," Khurshid told Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua in an interview on Saturday.

Khurshid believed the two neighbouring countries, despite their differences, have a lot in common and should "align their positions in many areas." "India is ready to write a new chapter of our relationship with China," he said. The upbeat tone is shared by Sitaram Yechury, a senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a member of the upper house of the Indian parliament. "This will be a very important visit for India. It will not only strengthen but also multiply the ties between the two countries," said Yechury, noting that the two countries are registering enviable growth rates while many other economies are struggling in recession or slowdown.

"We have ancient bonds as two great civilisations and now we are moulding a modern bond marked by economic development and cooperation," he told Xinhua. Tarun Vijay, a lawmaker and national spokesman for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said that the India-China relationship has over 2,000 years of history and that to improve trust between New Delhi and Beijing is essential for peace and prosperity in both countries. "We hope the Chinese premier's visit will be successful, as this is his first destination abroad since he became premier," Vijay told the news agency.