New Delhi:
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and China's President Hu Jintao have agreed to expand talks on areas which are being wooed by both countries. These include central Asia, the middle-east and Africa.
The two leaders declared 2012 the year of India-China friendship.
They unveiled a host of initiatives to bolster cultural and people-to-people contacts, including setting up of a media forum to promote better public perception of their bilateral relationship.
Leaders of both nations met at a bilateral meeting in Delhi on Thursday evening at the end of the BRICS summit also involving Russia, Brazil and South Africa. The talks lasted for over half hour and covered a range of bilateral issues as well as the need for closer coordination on global issues.
Mr Jintao has promised Dr Singh to reduce the trade imbalance between the two countries. He has said that his government will ensure Indian goods get greater access in Chinese markets. India had reportedly raised the issue of huge imbalance in trade which has exceeded $70 billion, with the surplus heavily in China's favour.
Reports say that the border disputes between India and China were also raised in the meeting. However, there was no discussion on the South China sea tensions.