Be pragmatic: Hu to Left

NEW DELHI: Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday had a word of advice for India's Communist leaders 'adopt a more pragmatic approach as this is the era of globalization that provides immense scope for economic prosperity'.

A day after New Delhi and Beijing decided to boost their ties in commercial, political and strategic areas, Hu told a delegation of Left leaders which called on him that both countries should enhance mutual trust to surge ahead in a globalised world.

"Globalisation provides scope for economic prosperity, and a more pragmatic and positive approach must be adopted by the Left to develop infrastructure and the economy," he told the leaders.

The Left parties have often drawn flak from the Congress and other parties for their strident posture on issues like privatisation, and some sections of the government have even termed their actions as roadblocks in the path of development.

Observing that Sino-India ties are strengthening, Hu also favoured an increase in political interaction between the neighbours in tandem with cooperation in other fields to boost all-round relations, Left sources said.

The ties between the two sides at the diplomatic level and in commerce and industry are improving. There should be more exchanges between the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and India's Left parties to boost bilateral ties, he said.