Chinese President keen to work with Patil

BEIJING: Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday offered to work with his new Indian counterpart Pratibha Patil to strengthen the Sino-Indian strategic cooperative partnership which is key to promoting peace and development in Asia as well as the world.

"On the occasion of your swearing-in as the Indian President, I wish to extend my warm congratulations and best wishes," Hu, also General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), said in his message.

"I am willing to work hard together with you on enhancing the Sino-Indian strategic cooperative partnership, and to open this new chapter of friendship of good-neighbourliness and all-round cooperation between two countries in the new century," he said.

Hu pointed out that China and India, as two big developing countries, are important neighbouring nations.

"Both sides should expand the bilateral exchanges and cooperation, so as to benefit the people of the two countries as well as promoting peace and development in Asia and the world at large," he said.