Sonia achieves many firsts during China visit

Congress president Sonia Gandhi today wound up her visit to China, becoming the first world leader to meet the newly-elected Chinese leadership and renewing the Sino-Indian friendship.

Gandhi met Chinese President Hu Jintao who was re-elected as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China on October 22.

"You are the first foreign political leader to visit China after the conclusion of the 17th National Congress (on October 22), which is an indication of the importance both of us have attached to our relations," Hu told Gandhi during their meeting here.

In Shanghai, China's commercial capital, Gandhi was the first foreign dignitary to meet the new Communist Party secretary, Yu Zhengsheng, who was appointed to the post only on Saturday.

"Sonia has visited the political capital and we have also visited the cultural capital, Xian and we are also visiting the commercial capital, Shanghai, and has met with the top most Chinese leadership," senior Congress leader Karan Singh told PTI.

(Reporting by Anil K Joseph)