China, India vow to further bilateral ties

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj agreed on Thursday to further develop relations between the two neighboring Asian countries.

Talks between the two ministers were held on the sidelines of the annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly, which entered its second day at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

Wang said that the historic visit recently paid by Chinese President Xi Jinping to India had boosted understanding and friendship between leaders of the two countries and drawn the two peoples closer.

China-India relationship is embracing a crucial period of opportunities, the Chinese foreign minister said.

The two sides should implement the strategic plan on the development of bilateral relations laid down by leaders of the two countries, maintain high-level interactions, increase mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, intensify friendly exchanges between the two peoples, make concerted effort to build a closer partnership and actualize the bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership.

For his part, Swaraj said the Indian people welcomed President Xi's visit from the bottom of their hearts.

The visit was a huge success and significantly enhanced the practical cooperation between the two countries, she said.

The Indian side highly values the results of the visit and stands ready to coordinate closely with the Chinese side in a bid to write a new chapter of the India-China relations, Swaraj added.