India is an important neighbor to China, and China places great importance on developing good-neighborly and cooperative relations with it.

Wei Jianxing, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks in a meeting Monday with Harkishan Singh Surjeet, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Wei, also a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, said that Sino-Indian relations have been in the process of improvement and growth thanks to joint efforts, and the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations not long ago.

Indian President Kocheril Narayanan also paid a successful visit to China in May, when Chinese President Jiang Zemin and President Narayanan reached an agreement on the future growth of bilateral relations, thus laying a good foundation for the development of such relations in the new century, he said.

Wei also spoke highly of friendly relations between the CPC and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and said that the CPC values its friendship with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), expressing appreciation and gratitude for its stance on upholding justice and its efforts to maintain good-neighborly Sino-Indian relations.

At the turn of the century, the CPC is willing to work with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to push forward Sino-Indian relations.

Surjeet said that both India and China are large countries in Asia, and they are faced with the issue of development, adding that good relations and cooperation between the two countries are significant to peace and development in Asia and the world at large.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will continue its efforts to advance good-neighborly Sino-Indian relations, he said.

(People's Daily 08/29/2000)