A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said Tuesday the Chinese side is ready to enhance exchanges with major political parties of India to further push forward country-to-country ties.

Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks in his meeting with a delegation from the National Democratic Alliance of India, led by Sri Bal Apte, vice president of the Indian People's Party.

Liu said it is a set policy of the CPC and the Chinese government to develop long-term good-neighborly ties with India. Maintaining stable and healthy ties between the two countries complies with the fundamental interests of both sides as well as peace and prosperity of Asia and the world at large.

He called on both sides to handle bilateral ties from strategic and long-term point of view, and properly settle respective concerns, so as to lift up China-India ties to a new level.

In response, Apte said the two countries shoulder increasingly important responsibility under the current international situation. Indian People's Party supports both countries to carry out broader and closer cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2009)