Sonia Gandhi, the head of India's Congress party, began a five-day visit to China on Thursday, as foreign ministers of the two nations discussed Myanmar and their long-running border disputes, reported dap. Gandhi was invited to China by the ruling Communist Party and was expected to meet leaders including party and state head Hu Jintao in Beijing. "We attach great importance to her visit," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jiancaho told reporters. "We believe her visit will promote relations between the two parties and increase the understanding between the two peoples," Liu said. Gandhi was also scheduled travel to the ancient inland city Xi'an and to Shanghai, China's most important economic hub, he said. Meanwhile, the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers held talks in the north-eastern Chinese city of Harbin on Thursday, the ministry said. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiachi and Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee agreed to "strive for an ealy agreement on a framework which could be fair, rational and acceptable for both sides on resolving the bilateral border issue," it said.
