KR Narayanan in China to speak on Panchsheel

Former President KR Narayanan has arrived in China to explore the role of the Panchsheel in establishing a new political and economic order.

Former President KR Narayanan arrived here on Sunday to take part in an international seminar on Panchsheel to explore the future role of the five principles of peaceful co-existence in establishing a new political and economic order.

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Narayayan would be one of the two keynote speakers at the 'international seminar on the five principles of peaceful co-existence' organised here by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) to mark the 50th anniversary of founding of the Panchsheel principles in 1954 by India, China and Myanmar.

Narayanan, accompanied by wife, Usha, was given a warm reception by senior officials of the CPIFA as well as by the Charge d' Affaires of the Indian embassy, Debnath Shaw and other senior Indian diplomats.

Narayanan last visited China in May 2000 as President and had held wide-ranging talks with the then Chinese leadership on boosting Sino-Indian relations.

While former Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen will also make a keynote address at the seminar, former Australian Prime Minister Robert Hawke, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, former UN Secretary-General Butros-ghali and former US Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George P Shultz will also give speeches at the seminar.

Vice President of the CPIFA, Wang Zhen said over 100 domestic and foreign politicians, scholars and experts from China and 12 other countries across the world will attend the two-day seminar.