BJP delegation to visit China, gets briefing from Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi: With complexities involved in Sino-India ties, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday explained to BJP MPs and MLAs, who are embarking on a week-long tour of China, India's efforts to remove irritants in bilateral political and economic areas.

Addressing the delegation of the legislators, Swaraj asked them to impress upon the Communist Party of China leaders and those in government there about the positive steps initiated by Narendra Modi government in establishing cordial relations with all neighboring countries, particularly China.

The 13-member delegation of MPs and MLAs drawn from various states will try to understand the internal structure of the Chinese Communist Party and the political functioning there.

The delegation, to be led by former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Lok Sabha member Bhagat Singh Koshyari, will also seek an understanding of the role of the political set-up in establishing a welfare society in China.

The delegation, that includes party MPs Tarun Vijay, Bhola Singh, Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Harish Dwivedi, will also emphasize on establishing and strengthening ties between the two parties.

BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav said this is a "goodwill" visit at the party-to-party level and was aimed at building cordial relations between the two major Asian countries.

He suggested to the delegation to pave the way for stronger economic and cultural relations between India and China.

Official from the Ministry of External Affairs also briefed the delegation about the government's stance on various issues between the two governments.

The study team will be visiting Guangzhou and Beijing cities to interact with Communist Party of China leaders and cadres from grassroots level to the politburo and the Central Committee.

The study team will also visit the political school of CPC and attend meetings with the Indian Consulate General at Guangzhou and the Indian Ambassador in Beijing.

On its return, the delegation will submit a detailed report to BJP President Amit Shah.