China and India are both willing and able to foster new highlights in cooperation among Asian countries and make new engine of the world economy, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on May 19 in the meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. [Photo/Xinhua]

Li Keqiang's decision to make India his first foreign port of call since becoming China's Prime Minister recognizes some important truths. China and India are both rapidly rising developing giants with a combined population of 2.5 billion, some forty percent of the total global population. Their friendship and cooperation will safeguard world peace and promote global development.

Western media, in particular the New York Times, have stressed the negative issues facing the two countries, such as the border issue and the Brahmaputra River water control projects. Despite this, the areas of common interest far exceed the differences. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh put it well when he said: "India and China are cooperative partners, not competing rivals."

In a joint statement, the two sides highlighted their commitment to work towards greater bilateral cooperation and coordination in a wide range of fields. The statement went on to say that the two Asian giants have a historic opportunity for economic and social development and the realization of this goal will advance peace and prosperity in Asia and the world at large.

The document quotes Singh as saying: "There is enough space in the world for the development of China and India, and the world needs the common development of both countries."

While striving to realize their trade turnover target of US$100 billion by 2015, the two countries agreed to address the issue of trade imbalance, which in 2012 amounted to US$28.87 billion in China's favor.

In view of their growing global importance, the two countries also agreed to a regular exchange of visits between their heads of state and governments.

High level exchanges between China and India were interrupted by the conflict in 1962, but resumed in 1976.

Western media noted that after their meeting, Li Keqiang will be visiting Pakistan, India's rival; and Singh will be visiting Japan, China's adversary. Indeed, some Western analysts predicted that the United States, Japan, Australia, Vietnam and India will form an alliance against China. This prediction was emphatically denied by Prime Minister Singh, who declared that India will never join an alliance to contain China.

China and India have the will, the wisdom and ability to manage their differences. In their joint statement, both sides pledged that they will work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas in line with previous agreements.

The two sides will also strengthen cooperation on trans-border rivers.

There is no question that both China and India will advance their own national interests. It is fitting that both sides realize that friendship and cooperation serve their national interests well.

Both countries have a long history of highly developed civilization. India was the first non-communist country to establish an embassy in Beijing and the famous "five principles of peaceful co-existence" (Panchsheel) were jointly expounded by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

With all of this in mind, it is highly unlikely that a great country with a glorious civilization would allow itself to become the pawn of a hegemon. Such claims by some Western analysts reflect the type of narrow-minded thinking which is incapable of understanding the actions and aims of great civilizations with great traditions.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://china.org.cn/opinion/zhaojinglun.htm

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