File Photo: PM Narendra Modi with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (Agence France-Presse; Image used for representational purpose)
As two emerging global powers, India and China's progress should be mutually supportive, Indian Ambassador to China Ashok K Kantha has said.
During a visit to the state-run China Daily yesterday, Mr Kantha talked about the growth of India-China relations, especially in the context of a closer developmental partnership agreed between the two sides, a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Beijing said.
"As two major poles in the emerging global architecture, our progress should be mutually supportive," he said.
The Indian Ambassador said that in order to realise the full momentum of the growth of the bilateral relations, expanded engagement between business and think tanks, media is important.
Meanwhile at a seminar in New Delhi, also yesterday, China's Ambassador Le Yucheng praised the contribution of "Indian friends" to Chinese forces in the fight to defeat Japanese forces in the World War II.
"Among all the countries and peoples, the Chinese people will not forget the strong political support that India rendered China since the beginning of Japan's aggression in the 1930s," he said.
"We will not forget how Mahatma Gandhi gave his moral support as he said 'my heart goes to the people of China in deep sympathy and in admiration for their heroic struggle and endless sacrifice in the cause of their country's freedom and integrity against tremendous odds'," state-run Xinhua quoted him as saying.
Ambassador Le also recalled how poet and writer Rabindranath Tagore supported the Chinese people's liberation cause with the power of his pen.
"The Chinese people will not forget that as military allies, Chinese and Indian armies fought shoulder to shoulder against the Fascists, notably in the theatre in Myanmar and the Indian army was instrumental in inflicting the most serious land defeat suffered by Japan in the war," he said.
India provided an important base for support materials to be sent into China at a time when many transport lines were cut off.
"Hundreds of thousands of Indian labourers were mobilized to construct these airdromes and roads connecting India and China.
"Thanks to this route, much-needed medical equipment and other logistic materials were able to reach China and contributed to the final victory," said the ambassador.