External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will embark on a visit to China from June 4 which Beijing hopes would promote "mutual political trust" and deepen "practical cooperation" between the two neighbours.
Mukherjee would hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on better implementing the consensus on developing the partnership of strategic cooperation. They will exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common interest, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular bi-weekly media briefing.
''This will be the first visit of Mukherjee to China since he took office (as Minister for External Affairs)," he said.
Mukherjee's four-day visit assumes significance in the wake of the recent unrest in Tibet. The trip also comes after the Olympic torch relay, which faced disruptions by pro-Tibet protestors during its world tour, was held peacefully in India, drawing praise from the Chinese authorities.
China hoped that Mukherjee's visit at the invitation of Yang would "further promote our mutual political trust and strengthen the communication and cooperation between the two countries and deepen our practical cooperation in a wide range of fields so as to continue to promote our partnership of strategic cooperation," Qin said.
He said apart from holding talks with Yang, Mukherjee would also meet other Chinese leaders.
''The two sides will discuss how to better implement the consensus on developing our partnership of strategic cooperation and they will exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common interest,'' Qin said.'
Mukherjee would also visit Guangzhou where he will inaugurate the Indian Consulate General on June 5.
"We wish his visit a full success," Qin said. Mukherjee will arrive in Guangzhou on June four and inaugurate the Indian Consulate General the next morning. He will be in Beijing on June five and six and fly back home in the morning of June 7, official sources said. During his stay in Beijing, Mukherjee will visit the prestigious Peking University. Mukherjee's visit comes four months after the trip of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in January.
During the visit, the two countries signed "A Shared Vision for the 21st Century" expressing their commitment to resolve outstanding differences, including on the boundary question, through peaceful negotiations while ensuring that the differences are not allowed to affect the "positive development of bilateral relations''.