On the afternoon of July 4, 2005, Chinese President Hu Jintao met in the hotel where he stayed in Astana with Indian Foreign Minister Singh, who came to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit as the representative of Indian Prime Minister.

Hu firstly congratulated India upon its upcoming observer status in the SCO. He said that the Chinese side is willing to coordinate and cooperate with the Indian side closely and make joint efforts to strengthen the SCO and promote the cooperation within the region. He hoped that China and India regard the SCO as a new platform to strengthen the friendly cooperation between the two sides.

Hu said that China and India are close neighbors and the two largest developing nations. At present, bilateral relations are facing important opportunities. Both sides should grasp the favorable opportunities to promote the good-neighborly friendliness and mutually beneficial cooperation and constantly enrich the content of the strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides.

Singh said that India is happy to become an observer of the SCO and willing to make its due contribution to the development of this organization. The Indian side is willing to further expand the India-China cooperation in bilateral and multilateral areas.