By+TANG+YUANGUI

ASHOK K. Kantha became Indian Ambas- sador to China on January 6， 2014. From high-ranking officials to ordinary citizens， all Indians value India-China relations， he said； moving forward， India intends to strengthen its cooperation with China and upgrade the bilateral strategic partnership to a new high. As Indian ambassador to China， Kantha said he would endeavor to enhance friendship between the two nations.

“I feel honored to hold this office. Our bilateral relationship is vital for India and China， as well as the world at large. Therefore， my work will focus on promoting bilateral understanding， cooperation and friendship，” Kantha said.

Kantha has been active in foreign affairs for decades. Before 1997， Kantha worked in different capacities at Indian missions in Singapore， China and the U.S.， and in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi dealing with Indias relations with China， Pakistan， Afghanistan and Iran. From 2000 to 2003， he served as the Consul General of India to Hong Kong and Macao. From 2003 to 2007， as Director General of the East Asia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs， he played a significant role in shaping Indias relations with countries of the region， including China.

These experiences prepared him well for his new position in Beijing， and moreover， equipped him with deep understanding of China. “My history with China can be traced back to 1981. October of that year saw my first visit to China. Every visit since， I have discovered more about the country and gained new insights. I have made more friends and my emotional bonds with the country are deeper than ever，” Kantha said.

Ambassador Kantha is a seasoned career diplomat and speaks Mandarin， having studied Chinese from 1979 to 1981 at Nanyang University of Singapore. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence， the pledge made by China and India to promote healthy international relations. Hence， the two countries leaders have decided to set 2014 as the Year of China-India Friendly Exchanges. A variety of activities are rolling out in a bid to enhance mutual understanding and exchanges between the two nations.

“The government and ordinary citizens alike are pleased with the great strides our two countries have made. Together， we have planned a series of exchange activities. In this important year， wed like to endeavor together with Chinese friends to lift our bilateral strategic partnership to a new level，” Kantha said.endprint

Challenges in any international exchanges are inevitable， Kantha said， but the best way to prevent problems arising is to strengthen communication and dialogue. As two of the worlds largest and most populous developing countries， China and India are neighbors and cooperation partners. Economic development of the two countries can greatly promote economic development of the world. India and China are neither foes nor rivals， but good neighbors， helping each other and promoting mutual development.

“The huge cooperation potential between India and China is manifested in politics， diplomacy， culture and economy. To our delight， weve noticed that both peopleto-people and high-ranking exchanges and cooperation of the two sides are further enhanced and witnessing substantial results. We sincerely hope our bilateral relations can make headway，” Kantha said.

Kantha indicated that as bilateral economic and trade exchanges go from strength to strength， China is becoming one of the largest trade partners of India. Its predicted that by 2015， bilateral trade volume will reach US$100 billion. This is a high target， but given the sound momentum of bilateral economic and trade cooperation， its believed that the goal will be reached eventually.

“Last year during his visit to China， Prime Minister Manmohan Singh indicated that the Indian government welcomes Chinese investment in India. We encourage Chinese companies to invest in India and set up production lines. Meanwhile， we also encourage Indian firms to invest in China and establish factories or companies there. We firmly believe that propelled by joint efforts made by the governments and people， our relationship has a bright future，” Kantha concluded. “In terms of highly important bilateral relations， its not only the high-ranking exchanges that count； people-to-people exchanges and cooperation can also contribute greatly.”endprint