Sino-Indian relation a 'very good story'

By Huang Xiangyang (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-09-14 13:58

China and India can develop a very "ambitious" relationship if the two giant neighbors work together to deal with challenges and issues between them, India's new ambassador to China told China Daily.

In his first interview with Chinese media since taking office, S. Jaishankar also brushed aside media reports of conflict along the border as "sensational" and "alarmist".

The ambassador said he is upbeat about the momentum in the development of Sino-Indian relations, describing it as a "very good story" characterized by booming trade, regular contacts between State leaders as well as rising interaction between the two peoples and even the armed forces of the two countries.

China is India's largest trading partner, and bilateral trade is set to surpass $60 billion next year - a 30-fold jump from 2000.

"This is a relationship very open both in terms of what we can do and also in terms of the progress we can make," Jaishankar said.

He recalled that the two countries had set a trade target of $40 billion for 2010 during President Hu Jintao's visit to India in November 2006. "But we met the target much faster than we had expected," he said.

The top envoy presented his credentials to President Hu on Aug 28.

The ambassador added that he did not want to define what specific progress he expected to see in bilateral ties because "I don't want to limit my ambitions".

"Once we have discovered the virtues of working with each other, there is really no limit to our cooperation," Jaishankar said.