China, in the midst of a leadership transition, on Tuesday sought to reaffirm its close bilateral ties with New Delhi, saying that India is an "important neighbour” and “an indispensable partner in international affairs”, even as in Phnom Penh, US President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that “India is a big part of my plans” during a “pull away” meeting the two had on the sidelines of the Retreat session at the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh.
The Chinese Embassy’s charge d’affaires, Deng Xijun said in New Delhi, “It is China’s national policy to maintain and to further promote the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership with India.”
Drawing attention to the meeting between Dr. Singh and China’s outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao in Phnom Penh, the senior Chinese diplomat said, “Through our joint efforts, China-India relations have witnessed sound development in an all-round manner and acquired neo-strategic dimensions in recent years,” assuring India that the leadership transition in his country would not affect bilateral ties. China and India are set to hold the second round of the China-India Strategic Economic Dialogue in New Delhi next week.