PM invites Chinese premier to India

India and China on Monday agreed on a blueprint to ensure regular high-level exchanges to further promote their strategic relations.

This was decided at the meeting held between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao at the Great Hall of the People in Bejing.

Dr Singh invited Wen to visit India for which the latter thanked the Indian premier. They also decided that Chinese President Hu Jintao will invite his Indian counterpart to visit China in 2009.

The chairman of the National People's Congress, China's Parliament, will visit India this year.

It was decided that External Affairs Minister will visit China in the first half of 2008 and his Chinese counterpart will travel to New Delhi in the second half of this year. Dr Singh and Wen also decided to hold the second joint military training exercises in India at a mutually convenient time this year.

The second India-China defence dialogue will also be held this year.

They agreed to hold the 8th meeting of India-China Joint Economic Group this year and established a high-level business leaders' forum for which modalities will be discussed.

Dr Singh and Wen also revised the bilateral trade target from $40 billion to $60 billion by 2010. They agreed to launch a partnership in science and technology and joint projects in four identified areas.

India and China will also launch a Joint Medical Mission in memory of the Indian Medical Mission to China in 1938 to provide medical assistance during the Sino-Japanese War.