India 'important' neighbour, 'indispensable partner': China

NEW DELHI: With a new generation of Chinese leadership assuming power in Beijing, China today said India was not only its "important" neighbour but also an "indispensable partner" in global affairs and the two could work for peace and prosperity of the region and the world.

Noting that India-China relationship has witnessed sound development and acquired new strategic dimension, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy here, Deng Xijun, said it was China's national policy to maintain and further promote the strategic and cooperative partnership with India.

"To China, India is not only an important neighbour but also an indispensable partner of China in international affairs," Deng said while briefing reporters on the outcome of the 18th Party Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) last week in Beijing, which saw the emergence of a new generation of Chinese leadership led by Xi Jinping.

"It is China's national policy to maintain and further promote the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership with India. China and India, as the two big emerging powers in the world, have their respective strong and weak points on their way of development.

"There are a lot of areas we can cooperate (in) and a lot of thing we can learn from each other. China's development is an opportunity to India and vise versa. So, we should work together for the benefit of our two countries and two peoples as well as peace and prosperity of the region and the world," Deng said, voicing the message of peace from the new Chinese leadership led by CPC General Secretary Xi.

At the conclusion of the once-in-five year Congress, the CPC elected Xi, 59, as its new General Secretary. Xi will replace Hu Jintao, 69, as the Communist nation's President in March while current Premier Wen Jiabao, 70, is expected to be replaced by 57-year-old Li Keqiang.