Chinese premier meets Karnataka chief minister

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met Saturday with Dharam Singh, chief minister of Karnataka Pradesh of India.

Wen said he is visiting India to promote mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation, as well as to outline the development of the bilateral ties in the future.

Bangalore in Karnataka Pradesh, known as "silicon valley of India" and "garden city", has increased contact with China in recent years, Wen said, adding some software companies in Bangalore have set up branches in China while some Chinese enterprises have also started business in Bangalore.

He expressed the hope that Bangalore would take its own advantage to enhance cooperation with more Chinese cities.

Singh said India and China are mutually complementary on economy, and Karnataka Pradesh would like to enhance cooperation with China on information technology, life science, agriculture, mining and other fields.

Wen also met with staff of the Consulate-General of China in Bombay and representatives from the Chinese enterprises and organizations here Friday evening.

Premier kicks off India visit

In a written statement delivered at the airport upon his arrival, Wen said China and India are next-door neighbors with friendly exchanges dating back to ancient times, and the bilateral relations have shown a positive momentum of all-round development since the dawn of the 21st century.

"As the world's two major developing countries, China and Indiawill exert positive influence on peace and development in Asia andthe world when we live in peace, deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation," he said.

Wen noted that the Chinese government attaches importance to developing good-neighborly relations and friendly cooperation withIndia and stands ready to work with India to handle the bilateral ties from a strategic perspective.

The premier stressed that the two sides should "bear in mind the larger picture, expand exchanges and cooperation in all areas,and properly settle questions left over from history."

The purpose of Wen's visit is to enhance China-India friendship,expand mutually-beneficial cooperation and promote bilateral relations. He was expected to exchange views with the Indian leaders on bilateral relations and issues of common concern.

"I hope and believe my visit will inject fresh vigor and vitality into relations between China and India," he said.

Capital of South India's Karnataka state, Bangalore is reputed as "India's Silicon Valley" for its booming information technology sector.

The Chinese premier was expected to stress the importance of Sino-Indian exchange and cooperation in science and technology during his stay here. He will travel to New Delhi Sunday.