Hu says visit highly successful, to benefit region and world

Chinese President Hu Jintao feels that his visit to India has been "highly successful" and its outcome will improve bilateral relations and contribute to the region and the world. Hu, on his maiden visit to India, conveyed this to a group of Left leaders who called on him in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The Chinese side considered the outcome of the visit will not only benefit India and China and improve bilateral relations but also contribute to the region and the world, CPI-M Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury told reporters in New Delhi when asked about the meeting with Hu.

CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat denied reports the Chinese President asked the Left parties "to be pragmatic" about pursuing economic policies.

"No such discussion took place with the Chinese President," he said in a statement. Yechury said his party welcomed the Sino-Indian agreement on nuclear cooperation as such a bilateral relationship would be beneficial for India's nuclear fuel supplies in case of any disruption.

"We should not forget it was China which had supplied fuel for our Tarapore nuclear power plant in 1995 when we were facing difficulties.

China is also a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group," he said in reply to a question on the nuclear agreement. If the NSG raised any objections at any time, "we could have an independent understanding (with China)... that will go a long way", he said after a meeting of the parliamentary wings of the four Left parties.