Shanghai: Top Chinese leader and former President Jiang Zemin on April 26 met visiting Defence Minister George Fernandes, exchanged views on how to further consolidate bilateral ties and reissued an invitation to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to visit China later this year.

"The meeting was held in a warm and very friendly atmosphere. During the meeting, chairman Jiang also invited Prime Minister Vajpayee to visit China," a senior Indian official said after the closed-door meeting.

Jiang, former Chinese President and general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), now holds the post of chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the top military post in China.

Fernandes told Jiang that he had a series of meetings with senior Chinese leaders and top defence officials, in which he discussed "matters of mutual concern and interest".

Fernandes, who is on the last leg of his week long and first ever visit to China, also said that the main thrust of his meetings with his Chinese counterpart general Cao Gangchuan in Beijing was on national security and related matters. Economic and other issues of common interest were discussed by the two sides, he added.

"We also discussed how to enhance India-China friendship and co-operation," Fernandes told Jiang, who invited the Indian leader to speak first "since you have come from afar".

The meeting, held at a leafy state guest house in the gleaming east Chinese metropolis of Shanghai, lasted an hour – much more than scheduled – giving a positive impetus to Sino-Indian relations, especially military-to-military ties, a senior Chinese military official said.

In his opening comments, Jiang, 76, said, "I warmly welcome you to China," adding, "You are younger than me. I especially welcome younger people."

Jiang, who headed the third generation of the Chinese Communist party leadership till last month, gave up his top party and government posts to a younger generation led by Hu Jintao, 60, now Chinese President and general secretary of the CPC.

"I am the same age as Prime Minister Vajpayee. In fact, he is four months younger than I am," Jiang commented.

On April 25, Fernandes, who arrived from the North West Chinese city of Xifan after visits to Chinese military facilities there, went to see an agricultural farm on the outskirts of Shanghai, which is also China's largest city as well as the communist nation's industrial and business hub.

He is scheduled to visit military facilities of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA) on April 27 before winding up his trip to China, official sources said.

PTI