Chinese President Hu Jintao said in Shanghai Friday that China is committed to developing long-term strategic cooperative partnership with India.

 

"This is an established policy of the Chinese government," Hu said when meeting with India's Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Thursday.

 

Hu said the relationship between China and India has entered a new phase as the two countries announced last year to forge a strategic cooperative partnership.

 

This year is a Year of Friendship between China and India, and the two countries will hold a series of activities to enhance bilateral friendship and reciprocal cooperation, Hu said.

 

"I believe, with the joint efforts of our two sides, the relations between China and India will keep upgrading," Hu said.

 

Deora, who is in China for the SCO summit as a representative of the Indian government, conveyed Indian leaders' congratulations to China on the successful summit.

 

He said the relations between India and China have developed smoothly over the years and bilateral economic and trade cooperation is also growing rapidly.

 

The Indian minister said both India and China are undergoing rapid development and India hopes to improve cooperation and coordination with China to achieve common development.

 

India is an observer country of the SCO, along with Mongolia, Pakistan and Iran. Established in June 2001, the SCO comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2006)