Partner

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrapped up his official visit to China in late October， following a visit to India by his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in May， the first stop of his maiden voyage abroad as China’s new premier. The past decade has seen fruitful exchanges through a series of encounters between leaders of both countries.

Sino-Indian relations have undergone twists and turns. Owing to similar past experience and a shared goal of national rejuvenation， the two countries remained friendly neighbors during the 1950s. Back then， Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai， which literally means “India and China are brothers，” proved a popular slogan. After the 1962 border war， however， bilateral ties reached their lowest point， with hostilities and distrust lingering for decades.

Times have changed. While vigorously pursuing development at home， China and India have formed a strategic partnership. Now both nations not only live in peace， but have also benefited enormously from their bond.

Due perhaps to the past war and the psychological wounds left over from it， some people still view China as an immediate or potential threat. They make comparisons， voluntarily or otherwise， with regards to economic strength and military prowess， as well as comprehensive state power. Some Western media outlets have also sensationalized or misinterpreted the status quo of Sino-Indian relations as if the two countries remain confrontational even to this day.

China and India are no adversaries， but rather strategic partners. As the world’s most important emerging economies， they now share identical or similar stands on a wide range of global and regional issues. Closer ties between China and India will surely help fulfill the common goal of rejuvenating the two ancient Asian neighbors.

Naturally， any territorial dispute may pose a huge barrier to returning bilateral relations to where they once were， but there is no reason why China and India shouldn’t put aside such a thorny issue and focus on further deepening their partnership， which conforms to the best interests of both countries and the world at large.