China said it attaches ‘great importance’ to the visit of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who arrived in Beijing on a five-day trip, and hoped it would promote bilateral relations."We attach great importance to her visit," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said soon after the UPA Chairperson arrived here along with her son AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Karan Singh and Union Ministers Prithviraj Chavan and Anand Sharma.Sonia would hold talks with Chinese President and newly re-elected Communist Party of China (CPC) general secretary Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao and leaders of the CPC, the spokesman said."We hope the visit will promote relations between the two parties and development of bilateral relations," Liu said. Sonia is in Beijing at the invitation of Hu in the first trip to be undertaken by a foreign leader after the new Chinese leadership emerged on Monday last.
