Chinese president hopes to 'turn a new leaf'

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday expressed satisfaction over the "sound" growth in Sino-Indian bilateral ties and hoped to "turn a new leaf" in strategic relations during his maiden state visit to New Delhi next week.

Expressing warm sentiments over bilateral relations during a meeting with India's new Ambassador to China Nirupama Rao in Beijing at the Great Hall of the People, Hu said that he was looking forward to his meeting with the Indian leadership during his visit to the country from November 20-23.

Hu expressed satisfaction over the sound development of bilateral relations and stressed that unless China and India developed, the Asian century will not be realised, diplomatic sources told PTI in Beijing.

Conveying his greetings to President A P J Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Hu hoped that his trip will turn a new leaf in bilateral ties and further promote the strategic cooperative partnership of peace and prosperity
envisaged by the two nations last year.

During the meeting which lasted 15 minutes, a little more than the scheduled time, Rao conveyed the greetings of the people of India and the Indian government and said the country was awaiting the Chinese president's upcoming visit.

She also shared the views of the Chinese president on bilateral ties and went on to describe Hu's visit as "very important". 

Earlier, Rao, India's first woman ambassador to China, presented her credentials to Hu at an impressive ceremony in Beijing.

Rao, a 1973-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is an expert on India-China relations, especially on the vexed border issue. She succeeds Nalin Surie, who has moved to the Ministry of External Affairs as secretary (West).

Rao was also the first MEA spokesperson.

From 1984 to 1992, Rao worked in the East Asia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, with special focus on India-China relations.

Before being posted to Beijing, Rao served as Indian high commissioner in Sri Lanka.