Cooperating on common dream

Less than two weeks after India's new government took office in New Delhi, China sent Foreign Minister Wang Yi as a special envoy to India where he engaged in "productive and substantive" talks with Indian officials.

In fact, the past year has witnessed the most frequent high-level exchanges between China and India in nearly 60 years. This is because they both know that mutual benefits and common development can only be achieved through building a strategic cooperative partnership, instead of rivalry, said a Xinhua News Agency commentary.

Wang's trip was aimed at cementing the existing friendship and exploring further cooperation between China and India, and both countries have pledged to maintain the momentum of high-level visits. President Xi Jinping is expected to visit India later this year, to strengthen strategic coordination on their relations and work out strategic plans in order to give guidelines to the development of bilateral relations.

"Being ancient Eastern civilizations at similar development stages, China and India are both pursuing the great dream of national renewal, dreams that are interconnected and mutually compatible," Wang said.

Based on such similarity, for China and India, with a combined population that accounts for nearly 40 percent of the world's total, much is to be expected from their pragmatic cooperation.

The complementary nature of the two economies provides great potential for China and India, one being a global manufacturer and the other a major service provider, to jointly boost cooperation in bilateral trade, investment, financial services, and new and high technologies.

Besides, as members of BRICS - the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - they coordinate closely on global issues.

The two countries are also expected to grasp the opportunity of celebrating the 60th anniversary of the declaration of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence and the Year of Friendly Exchanges to deepen bilateral exchanges.

Therefore, with such good momentum in their bilateral relations, China and India can put aside their differences on such thorny issues as their border dispute to make sure they will not hinder the partnership and friendship between the two countries, which will be conducive to regional and world peace and stability.