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Narayanan will visit China in May

President K R Narayanan announced on Wednesday that he would visit neighbouring China in May to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Beijing.

"We value our relations with our Asian neighbour and we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with China," Narayanan said in an address to both houses of Parliament on the opening day of the new budget session.

"In this context, I am looking forward to my state visit to China in May this year," he said, without giving precise dates.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited India in 1996, but the last major Indian visit to China was in 1988 by then-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

India and China fought a brief but bloody border conflict in 1962 and ties have remained frosty ever since, with lingering boundary disputes.

Bilateral relations took a major downturn after India conducted a series of underground nuclear devices in May 1998 and cited a perceived China threat as part justification for its action.

Narayanan also confirmed he would make a state visit to France in April, saying a newly launched strategic dialogue between the two countries had produced "encouraging results."

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