Zhang Dingfa, commander of the Navy of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), said in Beijing Tuesday that the Chinese and Indian navies will strengthen cooperation.

Zhang made the remarks when meeting Yashwant Prasad, deputy Chief of General Staff of Indian Navy, who is paying a eight-day visit to China.

Zhang hailed the relation between the two navies, saying the two sides have enjoyed more frequent exchanges and deeper understanding while Sino-Indian relation develops in recent years.

According to Zhang, Indian fleets have visited China four times since 1958, and Chinese fleets have visited India twice. In 2003, the two navies held a successful joint rescue exercise in the East China Sea.

Praising the rapid development of the Chinese navy, Prasad said he will further boost the cooperation between the two sides.

The year of 2005 marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and India, the two most populous countries in the world.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao held a three-hour talk with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday in New Delhi, which resulted in signing a joint statement of the two governments and declaring the establishment of strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries for peace and prosperity.

Source: Xinhua