China-India talks improve ties despite differences

World Today

China-India diplomacyChinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wave prior to delegation level talks in New Delhi on September 18, 2014. China’s President Xi Jinping held talks with Indian leaders in New Delhi on September 18 on a rare visit likely to yield a sharp rise in investment as Beijing seeks to reset ties with its western neighbour. AFP PHOTO/RAVEENDRAN

China’s President Xi Jinping concluded his state visit to India with an agreement to develop closer economic and political ties despite longstanding differences between the two countries. CCTV America’s Shweta Bajaj reports from New Delhi.

President Xi’s three-day visit to India ended in New Delhi where he signed 16 landmark investment deals with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders issued a joint statement, laying out a blueprint for closer ties between the world’s two most populous countries.

China will establish two large industrial parks in Western India, investing up to $20 billion in India’s infrastructure over the next five years, including engineering work to increase the speed of Indian railways to 160 kilometers an hour.

For more insight on President Xi’s visit to India and the relationship between the two countries, CCTV America was joined by Wang Haiyan, the managing partner of the China India Institute, a research consultancy focused on the transformational rise of China and India.