Xi: China and India should be closer partners

Ladies and gentlemen, friends!

Our era is witnessing profound changes in the international community. One big change is that Asia's global status has been continually on the rise. China and India are two major forces in the development of global multi-polarization. We are the driving force of Asian and global development. And now we are again at the frontier of the times. The China-India relationship has moved far beyond bilateral ties to have a broad and global impact. China and India work together, to benefit each other, the Asian region and the whole world.

Therefore, I propose that China and India should be closer development partners, growth-leading cooperative partners, and strategic global partners.

First, China and India should be closer development partners. We should work together to rejuvenate our nations. Development is the biggest common strategic goal for China and India. Our priority now is to allow our people to live more comfortably, peacefully, and happily. We should focus on development, share experiences, deepen mutual cooperation, and strive to develop peacefully, cooperatively and inclusively.

China is called the "world's factory", and India is called the "world's back office". We should strengthen cooperation and complement each other with our advantages. We should bridge China's opening up to the west and India's policy of going eastward. We should build the world's most competitive manufacturing bases, most attractive consumer market, and the most dynamic growth engine. We should also expand cooperation in investment and finance, and achieve comprehensive development of pragmatic bilateral cooperation.

The key to foreign relations depends on the relationship between the nations' people. There are amazing similarities between China's Taichi and India's Yoga, and China's traditional medicine and India's Ayurveda. The life philosophy our people have held for thousands of years are very similar During this visit, we have drawn up a China-India cultural communication plan. This is to promote the humanistic spirit of the two nations' sages, and recreate the heyday of communication between the two ancient civilizations. We have agreed to expand cooperation in youth exchanges, culture, education, tourism, religion, the media, radio, television, film, and regional provinces and cities. China has decided to open a new pilgrim path passing through the Netula Pass, to facilitate journeys for Indian pilgrims to the sacred mountains and lakes in China's Tibet.

Xi: I have a deep interest in Indian civilization

I have had a deep interest in Indian civilization since I was young. India's spectacular history deeply appealed to me. I have read historic books on the Ganges River civilization, the Veda culture, the Maurya Empire, the Kushan Empire, the Gupta Empire and the Mughal Empire. I have been especially interested in India's colonial history and the Indian people's unswerving struggle to win independence. I have also paid great attention to the life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, hoping to penetrate the development path and psychology of this great nation. And during this visit, my wish was fulfilled when I visited the state of Gujarat. I visited the house where Ganhdi lived, the museum. And this morning, I visited Ganhdi's tomb, to express our respect for him. Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali, Stray Birds, The Gardener, and The Crescent Moon...They all have Chinese translations in China. I have read all of them, and some of them I have carefully read .. Some of translated lines are different from the original, and cannot convey the full message. But still we can catch its beautiful imagery.

Xi: China and India should help global economic growth

He wrote, for example: "If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars","We come closest to greatness when we are greatly humble", "Wrong cannot take defeat but right can.", "We read the world wrong and say that it deceived us.", "Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves.", etc. These beautiful lines full of philosophical wisdom have greatly inspired me, and I believe I speak on behalf of many Chinese people.

Secondly, China and India should be cooperative partners to drive economic growth, and join hands to rejuvenate Asia.

China and India should be the driving vehicles of regional growth, pushing forward the joint development of all countries in the region. Both nations should consolidate their regional cooperative consensus, facilitate regional economic integration and connection. We should push forward with the building of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar economic corridor, and conclude negotiations on comprehensive economic partnership to be built in the region. Both nations should be the strong and steady anchors to hold regional peace, and together, we should commit ourselves to building a secure and cooperative framework in the Asia-Pacific region that is open, transparent, equal and inclusive, and realize a state of security that is common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable in every way.

Third, China and India should be global partners in strategic cooperation, and push forward the international order to a more fair and equitable direction.