“There is growing realization in China that the Congress Party is playing a crucial role in the dynamics of Indian democracy. There is, therefore, a desire on the part of the CPC as also on our part to deepen our relationship,” said Dwivedi. At today’s meeting, both sides refrained from raising contentious issues like Tibet, boundary dispute or the Indo-US nuclear deal.

According to Ravni Thakur, Joint Secretary in the Foreign Affairs Department of the AICC, the Chinese delegation also talked about Myanmar and in this context said that there were areas in which India and China could work together. “We don’t believe in isolating Myanmar,” Li Jinjun reportedly told the Congress delegation.

Li is in India to participate in the respective party Congress of the CPI and the CPM. He came to New Delhi after attending the CPI party Congress in Hyderabad and is scheduled to attend the CPM party Congress later this month.

Thakur said that the theme of the seminar was yet to be decided, although broadly it could focus on the road to economic reforms and the problems of displacement that occurred on this road. Apart from Dwivedi and Thakur, the AICC delegation included Veerappa Moily, former foreign secretary M K Rasgotra who is a member of the AICC foreign affairs cell, and Manish Tiwari.