China on Wednesday said it attaches “great importance” to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit here this week, during which she will interact with top Chinese leaders and attend the 13th Russia, India and China (RIC) foreign ministers meeting.
“This is her first visit since she took over office last year. Both sides attach great importance to her visit,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here.
Swaraj will be the senior most Indian leader to visit Beijing after US President Barack Obama’s unprecedented second visit to India to attend the Republic Day parade and the India-US joint statement on advancing shared security in Asia Pacific region which evoked considerable concern here with a spate of critical commentaries in the official media.
During the visit, that begins Saturday, she will interact with top Chinese leaders and attend the 13th RIC foreign ministers meeting on February 2 along with her Chinese and Russian counterparts Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov. She is scheduled to hold talks with Wang and is also expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Swaraj will also inaugurate the ‘Visit India Year’ being organized by India to attract more tourists from China and address the India-China Media Forum being held on the sidelines of her visit.
Elaborating on how China viewed Swaraj’s visit, Hua said bilateral ties between the two largest developing countries and major emerging economies were progressing in a “sound and stable way”.