Dr Singh likely to visit China in 2007

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday invited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit China.

National Security Advisor M K Narayanan told media persons that the prime minister, who met Jiabao on the sidelines of the fifth India-Association of South East Asian Nations and the second East Asia summits being held in Cebu, Philippines, said he hoped to be able to accept the invitation.

Narayanan said the two leaders' meeting was an 'extremely useful and fruitful' one, and the ambience of the talks reflected maturity in India-China relations.

"The Chinese premier underlined that whatever anybody might say, India and China are friendly neighbours and have a common view of how the world should be looked at," Naraynan said.

The two leaders' talks touched upon Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, but did not refer to the India-US nuclear deal. In response to a question about whether China's nod for the India-United States nuclear deal was discussed, Narayanan said that Chinese President Hu Jintao, on his visit to India, had said that China will not be an obstacle, and that there was no need for further discussion on the subject.

Prime Minister Singh also held bilateral talks with Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Bin Ahmad Badawi.

Arroyo -- who is likely to visit India in the first half of this year -- stressed the need for acting together on matters of strategic interests, and closer cooperation on security and intelligence sharing.