Beijing, Sept 28: Chinese President Hu Jintao today lauded the recent forward momentum in Sino-Indian relations and discussed ways to further promote the good neighbourly bilateral ties to a new high. Hu spoke highly about Sino-Indian relations after India's Ambassador-Designate Nalin Surie presented credentials at an impressive ceremony here at the Great Hall of the People.
Surie was the first among four Ambassador-Designates to present credentials to Hu, who is also general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). Surie said he had a 30-minute meeting with the Chinese President during which they discussed ways to further improve bilateral ties.
"The President was relaxed and showed great warmth towards India," Surie said while describing the meeting as "good”.
The Indian Ambassador also expressed confidence in taking Sino-Indian relations forward-- both quantitatively and qualitatively-- during his tenure here. Surie arrived here in late August to take up the key diplomatic assignment in place of Shivshankar Menon, who was appointed as India's High Commissioner in Pakistan.
Before being named as Ambassador to China, Surie, who belongs to the 1973 batch of Indian Foreign Service, was India's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador to Poland, Joint Secretary (East Asia) and then Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Bureau Report