Chinese VP meets PM Modi; India, China ink two MoUs

New Delhi: Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after India and China signed two MoUs - on water resources and culture - earlier in the day.

During the meeting, Modi warmly recalled the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India last year, and his own visit to China in May this year, according to an official statement.

The prime minister said that there was tremendous potential for India and China to grow their economic and developmental partnership, and highlighted opportunities in railways, smart cities, infrastructure and urban transport for cooperation.

Modi welcomed the increased level of investments from China to India and expressed hope that the growth in the number of Chinese tourists visiting India would continue. He said that the ancient cultural ties between India and China were a catalyst for growth of stronger people to people relations.

Modi and Li agreed that peaceful, cooperative and stable relations between India and China were vital for regional and global peace and prosperity.

Earlier on Friday, India and China signed two MoUs on water resources and culture in presence of Li and his Indian counterpart Hamid Ansari.

"Widening #IndiaChina engagement. Indian & Chinese Vice Presidents witness signing of MoUs on Water Resrces & Culture," tweeted external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup.

The two leaders also held talks on various issues.

Li, who arrived in Maharashtra's Aurangabad on Tuesday, also visited Kolkata where he met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, before arriving in New Delhi on Thursday night.

According to Swarup, this is the first visit by a Chinese vice president to India in over 60 years.