On the afternoon of June 24, 2003, President Hu Jintao met with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Great Hall of the People.

Hu welcomed Vajpayee’s visit to China. He said that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and the Indian prime minister held fruitful talks and reached broad consensus on the previous day, and signed a series of cooperative documents that laid a legal foundation for the further development of bilateral relations, including the Declaration on Principles for Relations and Comprehensive Cooperation between China and India.

Hu said that in order to achieve the goals set forth in the Declaration, China and India should increase exchanges, strengthen mutual trust and establish a concrete foundation for the long-term development of bilateral relations so as to carry on the good-neighborly friendship between China and India from generation to generation. The two countries should seize the opportunity to boost cooperation in various fields in order to achieve mutual development and prosperity. China and India should proceed from overall interests and handle historical issues appropriately, making new contributions to the grand cause of peace, progress and development of mankind.

Hu said the core principle of China's foreign policy is safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. China is not and will not do anything to threaten other countries. China is ready, together with India and other countries, to make efforts to promote regional and world peace, stability and development.

Vajpayee said his visit to China is an indication of India's willingness to establish cooperative relations featuring mutual understanding and trust. The signing of the Declaration has deepened the traditional friendship between the Indian and Chinese peoples, strengthened the two countries' resolve to forge ahead in long-term cooperation, and opened up new areas for bilateral cooperation so that the two sides may join hands to build Asia’s tomorrow.

Vajpayee expressed admiration at the great efforts made by the Chinese government and people in their battle against SARS and congratulated Beijing on the WHO’s positive assessment of Beijing’s progress in fighting SARS.