Sino-Indian relations at new historical starting point: Chinese Ambassador

VADODARA: India and China relations are at a new historical starting point after installation of Narendra Modi government at Centre and there is a need to expand mutually beneficial economic cooperation between the two countries, the Chinese Ambassador to India Wei Wei said today.

Launching the Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock Co (TBEA) plant at Karjan, about 40 km from here, the Chinese Ambassador also said that his country is according high importance to the visit of Indian Vice-President Hamid Ansari as the latter is the first top Indian dignitary to visit China after the change of government in New Delhi.

Ansari on Thursday left on a five-day visit to China where he will hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart Li Yuanchao and attend events to mark the 60th anniversary of Panchsheel agreement.

"India and China should further enhance friendliness and harmony and expand mutually beneficial economic cooperation as Sino-Indian relations are standing at a new historical starting point after inauguration of Narendra Modi-led government in Delhi about a month ago," Wei Wei said in his address as the chief guest on the occasion.

He said that India and China should strengthen cooperation mainly in the two aspects of infrastructure construction and in the manufacturing industry park.

"China will look to further strengthen the bilateral ties ahead of the Modi-Xi (Jinping, the Chinese President) meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) in Brazil next month," Wei Wei said.

The USD 200 million plant by the Chinese firm, TBEA Energy (India) is a Green Energy Park near Karjan town and is part of Gujarat government's move to attract more Chinese investments.

The then chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi had led a delegation comprising leading industrialists to China in 2011 and explored avenues for attracting more investment in Gujarat from the world's second largest economy.

China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi had recently visited India and met President Pranab Mukherjee as the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping.