The Communist Party of China (CPC) will further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with all major political parties in India, including the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), said senior CPC official Wu Guanzheng in Beijing Wednesday.  

Wu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said the friendly exchanges between the two parties had played a positive role in promoting bilateral relations, in a meeting with a delegation from the CPI-M headed by the party's General Secretary Prakash Karat.

Speaking highly of the development of bilateral relations, Wu said the establishment of a bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership oriented to peace and prosperity in April this year marks a new height in bilateral relations.

China believes that as long as the two sides continuously enhance pragmatic cooperation in politics and economy, bilateral relations will be closer in the future, he said, adding, the Chinese side is confident in the future of bilateral relations.

Prakash Karat said his party attaches great importance to the traditional friendship with the CPC. The persistent friendly exchanges between the two parties have played an important role in deepening bilateral relations.

He said the development of the relations between India and China, the two biggest developing countries in the world, are not only conducive to their own interests, but also to the peace and development in Asia and the world over. It will also help accelerate the process of multi-polarization in the world.

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2005)