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Prez Patil Leaves for Six-day Tour to China

President Pratibha Patil has left for China on a six-day trip to strengthen and expand strategic and cooperative partnership between the two countries, said media reports.

Patil, who is the first Indian head of state to visit China in a decade, is accompanied by minister of food processing industries Subodh Kant Sahay, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and a business delegation, reports said.

President Patil’s visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China.

“This visit is the first by an Indian Head of State to China in a decade, the last one being in 2000 by the then President KR Narayanan. From the Chinese side, President Hu Jintao paid a state visit to India in November 2006,” Rao was quoted as saying.

Commenting on growing Sino-India relations, she said: “India China relations are characterized by regular high-level exchanges, which are proposed to be maintained and even enhanced.

“In the preceding months, our Prime Minister met with President Hu Jintao at Yeketerinburg in June last year and again at Brasilia in April this year.

“He had very good exchange of views with Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in October 2009, and during the 16th Summit of the Conference of Parties on Climate Change at Copenhagen in December 2009.”

On the first leg of her visit, President Patil will have extensive talks with Presidnet Hu Jintao, who will also be hosting a State Banquet in her honour on May 27, reports said.

She will be meeting other senior leaders of the country, including the Chairman of the National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Jia Qinglin.

On May 29, Patil will pay a visit to the historic city of Luoyang in China’s central Henan Province to inaugurate an Indian-style Buddhist shrine in the famous White Horse Monastery, said reports.

She will dedicate it as a gift from the people of India to the people of China, said reports.

In the last leg of the tour, Patil will visit Shanghai, where she will address a business meeting to be attended by captains of industry of both countries, reports said.

The President will also interact with the Indian community in China. This interaction will be in Shanghai. She will also unveil a statue of Rabindranath Tagore on Shanghai’s main avenue.

(Based on internet reports)

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