The two countries are partners in development. Of course, China-India relations, like any bilateral relations, do face challenges and problematic issues but our bilateral relations have become increasingly mature and substantive," Yan said as he delivered the keynote address at a seminar on India-China relations organised by GITAM University in Hyderabad.
He said China and India could make a positive impact on world peace and development if they joined hands. "When the two countries are in discord, both suffer," he said.
On the need to enhance "mutual trust", Yan said there could be no sustained and meaningful cooperation nor genuine relations without trust. He also said there was a need to upgrade the level of economic cooperation by expanding the scope of trade, improving trade configurations and reducing trade imbalance.
"Bilateral trade between India and China shot up to US $ 51.7 billion (Rs 2.3 lakh crore) in 2008 from just US $ 2.9 billion (Rs 13,500 crore) in 2000. In the past nine months, it has touched US $45 billion (Rs 2 lakh crore) and I am optimistic that we will be able to reach US $ 60 billion (Rs 2.7 lakh crore) this year according to the target set by our leaders five years ago," the envoy said.
"A strong and healthy economy of China and India not only brings tangible benefits to our two peoples but also serves as power engines to the world economy as a whole," Yan said.
The Chinese ambassador also sought to allay apprehensions that China's development posed a threat to the world. "Some people in the western countries view China's development as a threat. If this is not due to ignorance, then it must be politically motivated. China's development poses no threat to any country but rather provides an opportunity to the world," Yan said, adding, his country set its objective of building a "moderately prosperous society" by the year 2020.
