Sino-India bilateral trade can reach 60 billion dollars in 2010: President Patil

New Delhi, May 25 (ANI): President Pratibha Devisingh Patil said on Tuesday said that trade between India and China could expand in a more balanced, sustainable and diversified way so that both countries could attain the goal of increasing their bilateral trade to 60 billion dollars in 2010.

President Patil will be visiting China from May 26-31 and holding discussions with Chinese leaders as part of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China.

She said that investment by Chinese companies is welcome in India and New Delhi would encourage Indian companies to invest in China.

"Chinese companies are active in India's infrastructure projects, such as highways, airports, power and steel plants. I want to tell the Chinese businesspersons that they are welcome in India," President Patil told the Chinese news agency Xinhua.

India and China have had cultural contacts over thousand years, she said when asked about cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

"Either the visit of Xuan Zhuang to India or than of Indian scholar monks Kashyapamatanga and Kharmartna to China, there has been a continuous interaction. In the last century, Rabindranath Tagore and Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis became famous in China as representatives of the Indian people," she said.

The president said the China Festival being held in India and India Festival being held in China this year will spark the interest of people in both countries.

"I am encouraged that during his visit to India in 2008, President Hu Jintao suggested that we institute reciprocal visits of youth delegations between India and China. Such initiatives go a long way in building future bonds," President Patil said.

She also congratulated Beijing for hosting the Shanghai World Expo, and said she would visit both the Chinese and Indian pavilions.

During her visit, President Patil will go to Luoyang and inaugurate an Indian style Buddhist temple on the grounds of the White Horse Monastery. (ANI)