Jiang meets Fernandes, extends invitation to PM

Former Chinese president Jiang Zemin on Saturday met visiting Defence Minister George Fernandes and exchanged views on how to consolidate bilateral ties and reissued an invitation to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to visit China later this year.

Jiang, former president and general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China, now holds the post of Chairman of the Central Military Commission, the top military post in China.

Fernandes told Jiang that he had a series of meetings with senior Chinese leaders and top defence officials and discussed 'matters of mutual concern and interest'.

Fernandes, who is on the last leg of his weeklong and first-ever visit to China, also said that the main thrust of his meetings with his Chinese counterpart General Cao Gangchuan in Beijing was on national security and related matters.

"We also discussed how to enhance India-China friendship and cooperation," Fernandes told Jiang, who invited the Indian leader to speak first 'since you have come from afar'.

The meeting, held at a leafy state guesthouse in the gleaming east Chinese metropolis of Shanghai, lasted an hour -- much more than scheduled -- giving a positive impetus to the Sino-Indian relations, especially military-to-military ties, a senior Chinese military official said.

In his opening comments, Jiang, 76, said, "I warmly welcome you to China," and add, "you are younger than me. I especially welcome younger people."

Jiang, who headed the third generation of the Chinese Communist party leadership till last month, gave up his top party and government posts to a younger generation led by Hu Jintao, 60, now Chinese president and general secretary of the CPC.

"I am the same age as Prime Minister Vajpayee. In fact, he is four months younger than I am," Jiang commented.

On Friday, Fernandes, who arrived from the northwest Chinese city of Xian after visits to Chinese military facilities there, went to see an agricultural farm on the outskirts of Shanghai, which is also China's largest city as well as the communist nation's industrial and business hub.

He is scheduled to visit military facilities of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy in Shanghai on Sunday before winding up his tour to China, official sources said.