Thursday, February 10 2005 16:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beijing: China today (Feb 10, 2005) said it is willing to "unswervingly" push forward the friendly and mutually beneficial cooperative ties with India.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing stated this at a meeting with Indian Ambassador Nalin Surie during which they discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern and reviewed the preparations for Premier Wen Jiabao's upcoming visit to India.

They also conveyed regards and good wishes from the two countries' leaders to each other, Chinese Foreign Ministry sources said in Beijing.

"China is willing to unswervingly push forward the friendly-neighbour and mutually beneficial cooperative ties with India," Li was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.

Li also noted that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-India diplomatic ties. Both sides have decided to celebrate the important milestone in bilateral relations, which falls on April 1.

Surie described the meeting as "normal consultations" and said he discussed among other things preparations for the Chinese Premier's visit to India.

The two sides have not announced any dates for the visit, which is likely to take place either in late March or April. Both New Delhi and Beijing have said that the visit will be a major milestone in bilateral relations.

During their first-ever Strategic Dialogue last month, India and China indicated their readiness to closely work together to ensure a "substantive outcome" of Wen's visit.