Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong has emphasized strengthening bilateral relations and promoting friendly cooperation between India and China while hosting a reception in New Delhi on Tuesday evening to mark the 97th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

In order to push forward China-India relations along the right track of sound and steady development, Xu underscored that two countries should continue the dialogue at all levels and all fields and properly handle and manage differences.

Mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation will also bring peace and stability in the region and it will promote global peace, stability and development, Xu said.

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As two major developing countries and emerging economies, China and India are now at a critical stage of national revitalization.

Upholding good-neighborliness and friendship and realizing common development serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, Ambassador Xu pointed out.

Last week Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met in Vientiane, Laos, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meeting following their meeting earlier this month.

The meetings between the two foreign ministers have injected new impetus into the improvement and development of China-India relations, Xu said.

“The two sides should continue to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries,” he said.

Xu stated that China and India are important neighbors and this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

Decades ago, Chinese leaders, together with leaders from India and Myanmar, jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, setting a correct benchmark for handling state-to-state relations.

He pledged to carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and adhere to the principles of “mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual trust, mutual accommodation, and mutual accomplishment”.  

Over the past 97 years, the PLA has made great achievements in contributing to the dignity, prosperity and strength of the Chinese nation, provided strong underpinning for safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and contributed to building a community with a shared future for mankind, Xu said.

Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, the PLA is striving to achieve its goals for the centenary in 2027 and elevating its armed forces to world-class standards, and serving as a strategic safeguard for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, he added.

Recently concluded third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has emphasized the importance of building a high-standard socialist market economy, pursuing high-standard opening-up, and modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance, he said.

It will provide new cooperation opportunities for all countries including India, Xu said.

Expressing a similar view, Rear Admiral Ji Mingzhou, Defence Attaché of China to India said enhancing strategic mutual trust and properly handling differences, the relations between the two countries will surely return to the track of sound development.

Ji believes that as long as China and India and their militaries can make joint efforts in the same direction, further implementing the consensus reached by the leaders of the two sides will enhance strategic mutual trust.

As important neighbors and the two largest developing countries, China and India are both at a critical stage of development and revitalization, Ji pointed out while addressing at the event.

“Our common interests far outweigh our differences,” Ji added.

In recent years, the bilateral and military-to-military relations between China and India have faced difficulties and challenges due to the border issue.

The two sides, however, have maintained communication through diplomatic and military channels, and insisted on effectively managing and resolving differences through dialogue, Ji highlighted.

The overall situation in the China-India border area has remained peaceful and stable, Ji said.

Since the border stand-off in May 2020, India and China held multiple rounds of diplomatic and high-level military talks to resolve the border row in eastern border region.

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In recent years, the Chinese military has provided public security products to the international community in the fields of UN peacekeeping, anti-terrorism, overseas escort, and humanitarian assistance, becoming a staunch force in maintaining world peace and stability, the defence attaché said.

China is the largest troop contributor to peacekeeping among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and has sent over 50,000 peacekeepers to participate in UN peacekeeping operations.

Among them, over 20 officers and soldiers have lost their lives, Ji noted, adding the Chinese Navy has dispatched 46 escort taskforces to provide protection for more than 7,200 Chinese and foreign ships.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.