印度总理莫迪访华增强中印合作关系

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in the northwestern city of Xi'an to begin his 3-day visit to China.

Just ahead of Modi's departure, Chinese Ambassador in New Delhi Le Yucheng told China Radio International that the visit will enrich the Sino-Indian partnership and help set direction for future bilateral ties.

"Both China and India are developing countries with large populations. Both of them are striving for a renaissance of the nation and pursuing similar development goals and strategies. The two countries can find more common ground on a series of regional and international issues such as global economy, climate change, anti-terrorism and peacekeeping."

The envoy says as co-founders of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China and India can also seek deeper cooperation in pushing forward with a new world order.

Besides trade and economy, Le said culture can also bring the countries closer, and the ancient city of Xi'an is suitable for this role.

"Xi'an was where scholar monk Xuanzang started and finished his journey to India, while the Great Wild Goose Pagoda was where he translated the fetched Buddhist books. The city is a witness to the development of the bilateral cultural exchange and Modi is to enhance the cooperation in this regard this time."

Le revealed that during Modi's visit, the two sides are also expected to sign agreements aiming to boost cooperation between local governments.