Diplomat: Xi's visit to Cambodia, Bangladesh, India to boost ties

President Xi Jinping's upcoming trip to Cambodia, Bangladesh and India would be "an important diplomatic activity" that aims to boost ties with South Asia, a senior diplomat said on Monday.

Kong Xuanyou, assistant foreign minister, told a news conference in Beijing that it would be the first time that a Chinese president has paid a state visit to Bangladesh in the past 30 years.

"Bangladesh is China's important partner in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, and the visit would be a milestone for China-Bangladesh relationship," he said.

According to the foreign ministry, Xi will pay state visits to Cambodia and Bangladesh from Thursday to Friday, and will then fly to Goa to attend the 8th BRICS Summit at the weekend.

The Chinese president has already visited some other South Asian countries, including India and Sri Lanka in 2014 and Pakistan in 2015.

During Xi's visits, China will sign a number of cooperative agreements with Cambodia and Bangladesh to implement the Beijing-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which focuses on improving infrastructure and boosting interconnection, Kong said.

Li Baodong, vice-foreign minister, said that the BRICS summit to be held in India is expected to boost confidence toward global economic growth.

"Through this meeting, China expects to send a positive signal of boosting confidence," he said, adding that the BRICS countries should continue to push forward pragmatic cooperation.

China also hopes to improve the BRICS members' and developing countries' right to speak in international affairs to safeguard peace and stability, he added.

During the summit, President Xi Jinping will hold bilateral talks with leaders from other BRICS members, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to reach consensus on global governance, Li said.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn