Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold an informal meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from April 27 to 28 in Wuhan, and the meeting will set new goals and break new ground for bilateral ties, a Chinese vice foreign minister said on April 24.

The upcoming meeting has attracted great attention from the two countries and the international community, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said at a press briefing.

As the two largest developing countries and important emerging markets in the world, China and India each have a population of over one billion, Kong said.

As the mainstays for a multipolar world and economic globalization, China and India are important champions for regional and global peace, stability and prosperity, Kong said, noting that the strategic and global significance of bilateral ties has become more prominent.

In recent years, China-India ties have maintained a momentum of development under the strategic guidance of their leaders, and both countries have made new progress in various cooperation, Kong said, noting that bilateral ties are facing opportunities for improvement.

The two leaders will meet in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

Kong said Modi has visited the Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Xiamen, and the upcoming visit to Wuhan will increase his understanding of China.

When the two leaders meet, they will have strategic communication on the most profound and unprecedented changes the world has seen in a century and thoroughly exchange views on the overall, long-term, and strategic issues of China-India relations, Kong said.

The meeting will enhance mutual trust, chart the course, set new goals, and break new ground for bilateral ties, Kong said, noting that it will not only benefit the two countries and two peoples, but also exert significant and positive influence on regional and global peace and development.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2018)