Home Minister Rajnath Singh Calls on Chinese Premier Li Keqiang

Beijing: Home Minister Rajnath Singh today called on Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and discussed efforts to step up security cooperation between the two countries.

Mr Singh, the first Indian Home Minister to visit China in a decade, met with Mr Li at his office at Zhongnanhai, the imperial compound where top leaders of the Chinese government reside and function.

Mr Singh, who arrived in Beijing last night on a six-day visit, is set to hold talks with top Chinese leaders and public security officials to strengthen cooperation in a host of areas including combating terrorism, especially in the light of the Paris terror attacks.

Earlier, Mr Singh kicked off his visit this morning with a visit to People's Public Security University, which trains police officers in a range of security-related operations where he interacted with Fan Jingyu, the ruling Communist Party of China's Secretary of the University unit and discussed issues relating to training of the police officers, an official source said.

He also visited the university's control room.

"Visited People's Public Security University of China in Beijing today. It has nearly 10000 faculty members to teach security and policing," he tweeted.

In another tweet, he likened the university with India's National Police Academy at Hyderabad.

"Establishing a National University on policing &security in India would be of immense help," he said.

Later, Mr Singh also held talks with China's Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun, who is also the State Councillor in the CPC, a rank above the Minister.

Mr Guo would host a banquet in honour of Mr Singh.

His visit comes in the backdrop of steady improvement of relations between the two countries while streamlining mechanisms to address the vexed border dispute.

Mr Singh would travel to Shanghai on Saturday where he would meet top CPC and security officials and address a meeting of the Indian Association of Shanghai.