Vice President Hamid Ansari to visit China this month

New Delhi, June 10:

Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari will travel to China this month to attend a special commemoration of 60 years of the Panchsheel Treaty between the two countries on June 28. His will be the first high-level visit after a new government took office in India late last month.

Ansari will attend the special function in Beijing, official sources told IANS.

China had expressed interest in having President Pranab Mukherjee to attend the event to celebrate 60 years of Panchsheel, or the five principles of peace, enunciated by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1954.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday concluded two days of meetings with the new Indian government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He extended an invite to Modi from Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang to visit China, which the Indian prime minister has accepted. The dates are yet to be fixed.

Wang’s visit was Beijing’s first contact with the new government, which China has said has “brought a new wind of change”.

Wang, who came as special envoy of President Xi Jinping, said his most important message to Modi was “on your road to national rejuvenation China stands by your side”.

During his meeting with Modi, Wang conveyed a message from President Xi Jinping: “Under your leadership, India will achieve greater development and progress”.

President Xi is also scheduled to visit India later this year. The dates are yet to be decided.

(IANS)