China, India to boost trade, military ties
(Xinhua/AFP)
Updated: 2005-12-14 18:49

KUALA LUMPUR -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Wednesday that the common interests of China and India are greater than their differences, and the cooperation between the two is greater than their competition.

Wen made the remarks while meeting with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the First East Asia Summit.

China and India are not only mutually important neighbors, but also big developing countries, Wen said. The strengthening of cooperation between China and India is not only beneficial to the 23 billion people of the two countries, but also conducive to promoting peace, stability and development of Asia and the world at large.

Currently, relations between the two countries are developing well, with the two sides declaring the establishment of a comprehensive and cooperative partnership, the Chinese premier said. This has demonstrated to the world that China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals, he added.

"Both countries feel a common responsibility to promote progress and development in the world," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said after the inaugural East Asia Summit on Wednesday.

"Both exchanged opinions on trade issues and expressed satisfaction about progress in trade. At the same time, in view of the size of our populations, the current volume of trade is too low," Liu said.

He said Beijing was hoping for an increase "as soon as possible," adding that an original target of US$20 billion a year by 2008 would be reached ahead of schedule.

Liu said the two nations had also discussed military cooperation and the possibility of regular exchanges "in order to step up mutual trust and understanding on defence."

Wen pointed out that the considerable progress achieved in terms of the Sino-Indian relations is the result of the concerted efforts made by the two sides, which should be greatly treasured.

"We should appreciate and handle the relations between the countries from a long-term and strategic perspective," he noted.

Wen pointed out that two important things ought to be done now. One is to implement the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries and expand an overall and substantial cooperation between the two sides by combining trade and mutual investments with technological cooperation, so as to push forward their economic and trade relations.

The other is to do a good job in conducting a variety of activities of the China-India Friendship Year in 2006 so as to enhance mutual understanding and friendship, he said.

For his part, Singh said that both India and China are countries of ancient civilization, and in the past they made outstanding contributions to developing the civilization of the mankind.

It is a shared responsibility for India and China to strengthen cooperation and continue to expedite the progress of this region and the world, the Indian leader said.

While expressing his pleasure with the steady development of the economic and trade relations between the two countries, Singh said that the current trade volume is incommensurate to the populations of the two countries.

He said that the two sides should take measures to incessantly deepen bilateral cooperation while strengthening cooperation in science and technology, so as to benefit the peoples of the two countries and the world at large.

At the First Asia Summit held here earlier Wednesday, Wen delivered a major speech titled "Be Open and Inclusive, and Achieve Mutual Benefit and Common Progress."