Only with tolerance towards historical conflicts and yearning for future cooperation can strategic dialogue between China and India be realized, says an article in the Beijing News. An excerpt follows: 

On January 24, Wu Dawei, vice foreign minister and the Indian foreign secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Shhyam Saran, held the first strategic dialogue between China and India. It was more of a diplomatic gesture with symbolic meaning.

In the past two years, the Sino-Indian relationship has taken a turn for the better, and is gaining vigorous momentum.

The visit to China by former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in June 2003 ushered the Sino-Indian relationship into a new era when mutual trust has been strengthened.

China and India, boasting the world's two biggest populations and rich histories, are showing stronger wishes to improve bilateral ties, as they become more involved in economic globalization.

Sure, there are still a lot of stumbling blocks for the betterment of Sino-Indian relations, such as border disputes and mutual distrust in terms of strategic intentions.

And due to these problems, it is unreasonable to expect that the relationship will be upgraded to a strategic alliance anytime soon.

Therefore, it is more suitable to undertake strategic dialogue as a positive and goodwill diplomatic approach to dispel misunderstanding, while fostering trust.

And for China, it becomes another chance to demonstrate its consistent good-neighborly foreign policy to India's Congress Party administration.

To achieve better effect through strategic dialogue, it is wise to start solving some concrete issues.

We should put aside differences and be tolerant towards problems.

The right approach would benefit the two developing countries, allowing more mutual trade and investment.

Sino-Indian ties have always been oscillating between negative and positive poles.

To realize the aspiration of their good-intentioned strategic dialogue, both must stop bickering about the past and try to seek future cooperation.

(China Daily February 2, 2005)