India and China on Friday signed a record 24 agreements in key sectors, including in railways and education on day two of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to the communist neighbour.
Protocol for setting up Consulates-General at Chengdu and Chennai besides a memorandum of understanding on consultative mechanism for cooperation in trade negotiations were among the 24 agreements signed in the presence of Modi and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.
An action plan between the Indian Railways and China National Railways on enhancing cooperation in the railway sector was also signed.
“Today, we have signed over 20 agreements, covering diverse areas of cooperation. This shows the depth and maturity of our relationship and the positive direction of our partnership,” Modi said in his address.
“Our decision to open consulates in Chengdu and Chennai reflects growing mutual confidence and shared commitment to expand relations,” he added.
An MoU on education exchange programme and ‘Space Cooperation Outline’ were also signed. Other key agreements are on developing China India think tanks, maritime cooperation and ocean sciences. Four agreements were signed on sister-state and sister city relations between Karnataka and Sichuan province; Chennai and Chongqing; Hyderabad and Qingdao; and Aurangabad and Dunhuang.
An agreement on setting up a Mahatma Gandhi skill centre in Ahmedabad was also signed besides a broadcast tie-up for Doordarshan and China’s state-run CCTV.
Agreements on education exchange programme, on mining and minerals, skill development, tourism and vocational education also figured on the list.
Two MoUs between Indian Council for Cultural Relations and YunnanMinzuUniversity and another with FudanUniversity were signed on the establishment of a Yoga college and centre for Gandhian and Indian studies, respectively.
