BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to India will be a milestone in the history of bilateral ties, senior Chinese diplomats said here Tuesday.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi both met with Ajit Doval, special envoy and national security adviser to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Yang said Doval's visit to China shows the Indian government and people attach great importance to Xi's visit.

Xi's Indian visit is a priority and both sides should work to make it a success, he said.

Xi's visit will establish the direction for development of China-India relations, Yang said.

Doval said that India has been looking forward to Xi's visit and will coordinate with China to make sure that the visit promotes the India-China strategic cooperative partnership.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and India will make further plan for the development of bilateral ties during Xi's visit, and identify key areas for cooperation.

China and India are both emerging economies and have ancient civilizations, mutually beneficial cooperation between them will not only help stability and development of each country, but also have positive impact on global peace and stability, Wang said.