By IANS
Beijing : Declaring that Sino-Indian relations were of “global significance”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday said he and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao had agreed to deepen “the mutual understanding and trust between our armed forces”.
“We welcomed the successful conclusion of our first joint military training exercise (in China), and agreed to hold a second exercise in India this year,” the prime minister told a news conference here on the penultimate day of his maiden, three-day visit to Beijing.
He said his talks with Wen were held “in an atmosphere of sincerity, warmth and friendship” and were “constructive and forward looking. This gives me cause for optimism for the future of our ties”.
Referring to the joint declaration issued earlier by the two leaders, Manmohan Singh said it was “an important milestone in the evolution of our relations” because it reflected the common perceptions of the two countries and also the desire to purposefully cooperate in the future.
“We had useful discussions on the outstanding issue of the boundary question,” Manmohan Singh said, referring to a dragging dispute that triggered a war in 1962.
“We have decided to intensify high-level exchanges between our two countries,” he said, adding that Wen had been urged to visit India at his convenience.
Manmohan Singh also said the two countries recognised that their strategic and cooperative partnership “should be based on strong, diversified and mutually beneficial economic ties”.
“We have decided to establish a high level Business Leaders Forum to advice us on the future of our economic ties,” he added.