Sushma Swaraj, Chinese FM hold talks under new system

New Delhi, Dec 21 In one more advance towards improving ties, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese partner Wang Yi Friday held broad talks under a recently settled system and concurred on "ten pillars" of participation to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Wang, who arrived sooner than required Friday morning, said he had an "extremely effective" meeting with Swaraj under the 'Abnormal state Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges' that was chosen amid the Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.

"India-China relations have reached a new historical stage," he said at the debut session of third India-China High Level Media Forum.

Swaraj, in her comments, said she was happy with the result of her two-hour discourse with Wang amid which they examined approaches to grow social and people-to-people exchanges.

She said India and China have conceded to '10 mainstays' of participation to upgrade social and people-to-people exchanges.

The 10 pillars are cultural exchange, cooperation in films and television, cooperation in historical center organization, cooperation sports, trades between young people, cooperation on tourism, trades among states and urban communities, cooperation in traditional medicine, cooperation in yoga and cooperation in education.

Bilateral cooperation has improved significantly after the Wuhan Summit, Swaraj stated, noticing that the militaries of two nations were also enhancing cooperation.

Wang depicted the new mechanism for cultural and people-to-people exchanges as a "major initiative" in the history of India-China ties.