| China, India sign wide-ranging joint declaration |
NEW DELHI, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- India and China on Tuesday signed a joint declaration on a wide range of issues, covering bilateral relations, commercial and economic exchanges, mutually beneficial cooperation, defence cooperation, settlement of outstanding issues, trans-border cooperation, scientific and technological cooperation, cultural exchanges and international coordination.
BILATERAL RELATIONS
China and India are committed to making the positive development and diversification of bilateral relations in recent years an irreversible trend, said the declaration released here during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to India.
The two sides agreed to hold regular Summit-level meetings, in each other's countries and in multilateral forums, it said, noting that high-level exchanges between Governments, Parliaments and political parties played an important role in expanding overall bilateral cooperation.
They agreed that China should open a new Consulate General in Kolkata, while India should open a new one in Guangzhou, according to the declaration.
COMMERCIAL AND ECONOMIC EXCHANGES
In the declaration, China and India agreed to endeavor to raise the annual volume of their bilateral trade to 40 billion U.S. dollars by 2010.
They should make joint efforts to diversify their trade basket, remove existing impediments and optimally utilise the present and potential complementary aspects of their economies, said the document.
REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
The two sides should have regular exchanges of views on the emerging security environment in the Asia-Pacific region and the world, and proactively consult each other on issues of immediate and emerging concern, said the declaration.
The two sides should also have regular consultations on issues pertaining to regional peace, security and stability, such as regional maritime security, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related materials and their means of delivery.
The reform of the United Nations should be comprehensive, ensure balanced representation of developing and developed countries in the U.N. Security Council, and improve its working efficiency, the declaration said, adding that the two sides should conduct consultations on the reform of the U.N., including the reform of the Security Council.
The two sides agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the World Trade Organization, the declaration said. Both countries support the establishment of an open, fair, equitable, transparent and rule-based multilateral trading system, as well as early resumption of Doha negotiations.
The two sides also agreed to expand their coordination within regional organizations and explore a new architecture for closer regional cooperation in Asia. Both sides consented to cooperate closely in the East Asia Summit, the declaration said.
This is the first visit to India by a Chinese head of state in 10 years. And India is the third leg of Hu's four-nation tour, which has already taken him to Vietnam and Laos, and will also take him to Pakistan.
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