PM likely to visit China in 2011

New Delhi
16 December 2010

India and China have decided to hold regular exchange of high-level visits and
to institutionalise annual meetings between their foreign ministers, said the joint
statement issued towards the end of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's talks with
visiting Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. Prime Minister Singh can be expected to visit
China in 2011 on a bilateral visit and to participate in the next BRIC summit to be hosted
there.

Both sides agreed to continue their consultations on climate change negotiations and
strengthen bilateral cooperation in green technologies. The joint statement talked about
"bilateral cooperation in the area of mitigating and adapting to climate change" and it
called for continued international adherence to the principles of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, including
that of "common but differentiated responsibilities". China appreciated India's offer to
host the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Biodiversity Convention in
2012. A part of the "BASIC" countries bloc (which also comprised Brazil and South
Africa), India and China cooperated with each other in the climate change negotiations.

The Chinese side welcomed the decision by the Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) to introduce Chinese as a foreign language in the curriculum of schools in India
from April 2011. China offered its support for training Chinese language teachers and
providing Chinese language training materials. The two countries also agreed to
consider the finalisation of an agreement on mutual recognition of degrees and
diplomas.

India and China agreed to intensify their dialogue on various aspects pertaining to a
stable regional environment. They expressed their commitment to assisting Afghanistan
and also agreed to broaden their cooperation within the framework of the East Asia
Summit, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO),
the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral cooperation mechanism and the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). China welcomed India's efforts to revive
the Nalanda University.

The two sides expressed their commitment to disarmament and non-proliferation
processes, besides reaffirming the importance of maritime security, unhindered
commerce and freedom of navigation.

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