Visit to China will cement ties: PM

New Delhi, Jan 7: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said his visit to China next week would ''cement'' the bilateral relations, but paried a question on whether he would go to Sri Lanka next month.

Talking to reporters at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Dr Singh said his January 13-15 visit to China would ''cement our relationship which is in very good shape.'' This was a return gesture following the visits of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in 2005 and President Hu Jintao in 2006 to India. Asked about the progress of the talks to resolve the boundary dispute with China, he said he was satisfied with the process of resolving the issue through the Special Representatives of the two countries.

''It is a complicated matter'' which would be dealt with as per the agreement on the broad parameters and guiding principles, he said. To a question whether he would undertake a visit to Sri Lanka to take part in the National Day celebrations, he said he had not made up his mind on the calendar of his engagements for the year.

Political parties in Tamil Nadu have urged Dr Singh not to go to Sri Lanka at a time when the island government had called off the ceasefire with the LTTE and launched an offensive against the Tamil tigers.

UNI