国内英语新闻:China Focus: Xi, Modi to meet in central China

BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold an informal meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 27-28 in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the announcement Sunday, after talks with visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Xi and Modi will have strategic communication on the world's profound changes, and exchange, in an in-depth manner, views on overall, long-term and strategic issues regarding China-India relations, Wang told a joint press briefing with Swaraj.

The last meeting between Xi and Modi took place in China's southeastern city of Xiamen last September after the ninth BRICS summit.

Wang said socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, while India is at a critical period for its development and rejuvenation.

On this background, Xi and Modi decided to hold this informal meeting, which will help deepen mutual trust between the two leaders, make strategic judgement on the world pattern and China-India relations, and guide the two countries to set new goals and open up new prospects for the the bilateral ties, Wang said.

"This not only benefits the two countries and peoples, but will also exert significant and positive influence on regional and world peace and development," he said.

Calling the two nations "natural cooperation partners", Wang said their common interests far outweigh their disputes. "It is an inevitable choice of the two countries to stick to long-term friendship, mutual beneficial cooperation and common development."

He said the two countries will keep close coordination and make good preparations for the leaders' meeting, so as to help make it a "new milestone" in the history of China-India relations.

"The two countries should take the opportunity of the leaders' meeting to cement strategic trust, deepen substantial cooperation, properly settle disputes and realize common development, therefore contributing to regional and world peace and development," Wang said while holding talks with Swaraj.

Swaraj, for her part, said the decision to hold an informal meeting between the two leaders revealed the strong willingness of both sides to strengthen strategic communication.

India is ready to work with China to deepen leaders' friendship through the meeting, enhance trust between the two countries and promote India-China strategic cooperative partnership to a new high, she said during talks with Wang.

Swaraj is on a working visit to China and will attend the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) scheduled for Tuesday in Beijing.

At the joint press briefing, Wang said the two countries would enhance coordination on the SCO platform, and work together for fruitful outcomes of the upcoming SCO summit in east China's coastal city of Qingdao in June, with China taking the rotating chair.

China congratulates India on becoming a member of the SCO, Wang said.

The two countries will work with other member states to promote the SCO to play a more constructive role in boosting regional security and stability as well as prosperity and development, Wang said.