India, China sign agreement on S

New Delhi, Sep 7 (UNI) India today signed an agreement with China to set up an inter-ministerial Joint Steering Committee for preparing a roadmap within three months for science and technology cooperation.

The agreement signed between Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal and his Chinese counterpart Xu Guanhua says the committee will review the existing Memoranda of Undersanding (MoUs).

''There has been a broad agreement on evolving a strategic relationship based on foundation of the synergy of India's software and China's hardware,'' Mr Sibal told reporters after the signing ceremony.

Terming his discussions with the Chinese side as ''frank and open'', he said as the two large developing countries both attach great importance to the role of science and technology in their national development, there is a lot to learn from each other's experiences.

Mr Sibal is on a five-day visit to China. Among his itinerary today was the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Centre for Nanoscience and Technology.

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