India, China plan academy to study ancient links with TN

It has also been planned to conduct research on maritime links between India and China through a conference on a ship voyage that will trace the historic connect between the two civilisations.

A major step in this direction both the countries have decided to engage in cooperative projects by studying ancient maritime links between India and China through the establishment of sister-state relations between Tamil Nadu and Fujian Province, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Friday.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, India and China will jointly hold 70 celebratory activities as agreed to during the informal summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.

To take the bilateral relationship to the next level, various activities, including parliamentary exchanges, have been planned to demonstrate the historic connect between the two civilisations.

They will further deepen people-to-people exchanges between the two countries at all levels, including between their respective legislatures, businesses, academics, cultural and youth organisations as well as the defence forces, the MEA said. These activities will be organised during 2020-2021, the MEA said.

The Chinese side will hold a China-India Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum in India as well as the 2nd China-India Drug Regulation Meeting.

The Indian side will also organise a special event on pharmaceuticals in China as part of the activities. Modi and Xi met for their second informal summit at Mamallapuram, a coastal town near Chennai, on October 11-12 and discussed a range of bilateral issues, vowing to jointly combat terrorism and radicalisation, and expand bilateraltrade and investment.