Union External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj shakes hands with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New Delhi, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav) Union External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj shakes hands with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New Delhi, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav)

After meeting the Chinese State Councilor & Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India and China agreed on ’10 pillars’ of cooperation to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges and Wang Yi exclaimed that the two countries have “reached new historial stage”, as quoted by PTI.

The two dignitaries met ahead of the first meeting of India-China High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges. The new mechansim aims to build synergies in people-to-people ties.

Chinese Foreign Minister, who arrived Delhi Friday morning, claimed the two-hour meeting as “very successful” and said “new mechanism for cultural, people to people exchanges is a major initiative in history of India-China ties.”

During the two-hour meeting, Swaraj and Yi discussed bilateral cooperation between the two leaders of India and China and how militaries of both countries are also enhancing cooperation.

Chinese Foreign Minister, who arrived Delhi Friday morning, claimed the two-hour meeting as “very successful”. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav) Chinese Foreign Minister, who arrived Delhi Friday morning, claimed the two-hour meeting as “very successful”. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav)

“Bilateral cooperation improved significantly after Wuhan Summit between PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping. Militaries of two countries are also enhancing cooperation,” Swaraj was quoted as saying by PTI.

Swaraj expressed a need to find a solution to India’s expanding trade deficit with China and hoped that China will provide support for market access to Indian goods and services.

Emphasing on the special relationship between the two countries, Swaraj said it is not only important for the region but also for the world. “At a time of global uncertainty, the relationship between the two countries are a factor of stability,” she said.

Setting up a new mechansim to boost people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges between the two countries was decided during the Wuhan summit.

“Our leaders had realised that unless we have better people-to-people cooperation, we cannot have close cooperation between the two countries,” said Swaraj.

The topic of discussion between the two varied from enhacing cooperation in tourism, art, films, media, culture, yoga, sports to academic and youth exchanges.

Swaraj said both sides made good progress in ties in 2018 and an ambitious agenda is being prepared for next year, PTI quoted.

“We are confident that the visit of Xi Jinping to India next year for the second informal summit will add another new facet to our continuously expanding ties,” Swaraj said.

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