Honorable Mr Shishir Priyadarshi,
Honorable Mr Manish Chand,
Honorable Ambassador Venkatesh Varma, 
Honorable General Manoj Mukund Naravane, 
Honorable Ambassador Neelam Sabharwal,
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India, it is a great pleasure for me to talk with you about the development of China-India relations and explore right ways for neighboring major countries to get along with each other. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the organizers, the Chintan Research Foundation and the Centre for Global India Insights, and friends from all walks of life who have long cared for and supported China-India relations. I wish this forum a complete success.

Since the Kazan meeting between the leaders of China and India last year, China-India relations have continued to improve and develop, and exchanges and cooperation between the two sides have gradually resumed in various fields and at all levels,  with a series of positive results achieved. China has resumed the visit of Indian pilgrims to the sacred mountain and lake in Xizang of China, and India has resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade reached US$74.3 billion, with a year-on-year increase of 10.2%. Not long ago, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended relevant SCO meetings in China. External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar visited China and participated in the SCO Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Yesterday, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi completed his visit to India, during which he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held the 24th Round of Talks Between the Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question with Mr. Doval and held a talk with Dr. S. Jaishankar. The two sides have reached important consensus on consolidating the improvement momentum of bilateral relations, and deepening cooperation between the two countries on international and regional issues. Next week, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Tianjin to attend the SCO Summit. I believe this visit will inject new impetus to the improvement and development of China-India relations.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

The world today is experiencing a turbulent period. Transformations of the world unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace, and the international order is undergoing the most profound evolution since World War Ⅱ. While the global muti-polarization and economic globalization continue to deepen and the Global South stands out with a strong momentum. At the same time, hegemony and power politics run counter to the tide of progress, the counter-current of protectionism surges, and regional conflicts keep flaring up. At this moment of turbulence and change, the significance of China-India relations has become increasingly evident.

China-India cooperation benefits both countries. China and India are important neighbors, major developing countries and emerging economies, and both are at a critical stage of national development and rejuvenation. China and India are each-other's important trading partners, with an annual bilateral trade volume exceeding 100 billion US dollars for many consecutive years. For two neighboring countries of such size, unity and cooperation are the only way to achieve common development, while confrontation and antagonism will only lead to a lose-lose situation.

China-India friendship benefits Asia. China and India are the "double engines" of economic growth in Asia. The combined population of the two countries is 2.88 billion, accounting for about 35% of the world's total population, the combined GDP of the two countries, calculated on the basis of the nominal exchange rate, amounts to US$23.4 trillion, accounting for about 20% of the world's GDP. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence jointly advocated by China, India and other countries have become the basic norms of international relations and the fundamental principles of international law. Today, as long as China and India live in harmony and achieve mutual success, we can continue the "Asian miracle" in the turbulent international situation and serve as the "ballast stone" in safeguarding Asia's security and stability.

China-India unity benefits the world at large. Standing at the forefront of the Global South, both China and India are important members of BRICS, SCO, G20 and other multilateral mechanisms, and pioneers in promoting reforms in global governance. At a time of hegemony, protectionism, power politics and bullying, China and India have the responsibility to take the lead in promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world and enhancing the representation and voice of developing countries in international affairs.When China and India join hands, there is great hope for the democratization of international relations and the development and growth of the global South.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Looking back over the past 75 years, the development of China-India relations has not been completely smooth, but friendship and cooperation have always been the main theme. There may be many challenges ahead, but the direction of development of China-India relations should be clear, and unity and cooperation is our only option. To this end, we should work together in the following directions:

First, enhance strategic mutual trust. In the face of an uncertain international situation, more and more people of insight have realized that for the two major developing countries with over 1 billion people respectively to rise together, we must avoid mutual suspicion and consumption. We should earnestly follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, view and handle the bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, establish a correct understanding of each other, insist on the correct positioning of China and India as partners, not rivals, and as opportunities, not challenges, and manage differences through dialogue, so as not to interrupt our cooperation.

Some people in the Indian strategic community believe that China wants to impede India's rise. This is undoubtedly a neglect of Chinese cultural traditions and a misunderstanding of China's diplomatic philosophy. Since ancient times, the Chinese have been advocating that "All things should flourish together without harming each other; all ways of life should thrive without hindering each other", and have advocated the appreciation of the beauty of others and the pursuit of harmony and coexistence. President Xi Jinping's proposal to build a community with a shared future for humanity is precisely a bid to work with the international community to turn the aspirations of people of all countries for a better life into reality. China hopes for its own prosperity and development, and equally wishes the same for India. As Mr. Deng Xiaoping, a former national leader of China, once said, a true Asian century only comes when China and India are both developed.

Secondly, focus on common interests. At present, India is implementing the initiatives such as "Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India)" and "Make in India" , and is committed to becoming a global manufacturing hub. China is advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts and promoting high-standard opening up, which will provide new cooperation opportunities to all countries including India. We are willing to work with India to enhance the alignment of our development strategies, strengthen exchanges of modernization experience and jointly enlarge the cake of cooperation.

The economic and trade structures of China and India are highly complementary. We welcome more Indian commodity to enter the Chinese market. India has a competitive edge in IT, software and biomedicine, while China is seeing rapid expansion in the fields of electronic manufacturing, infrastructure construction and new energy. If connected, the two major markets will produce an effect of "1+1>2". The Chinese side welcomes more Indian enterprises to invest in China. It is also hoped that the Indian side could provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for the Chinese enterprises in India, so as to promote common development of industries and benefit the people of the two nations.

Thirdly, strengthen ties between the two peoples. Since taking office more than a year ago, I have visited quite a few places in India. While I have personally experienced the charm of India's cultural diversity and the friendliness of the Indian people towards China, I also realized that there is still a lack of communication between the two peoples, and we still have a long way to go to achieve mutual understanding.

China has been actively promoting China-India people-to-people exchanges. Last year Chinese Embassy and Consulates in India issued over 280,000 visas to Indian citizens. Since July this year, a total of over 12,000 Indian pilgrims have gone on pilgrimage to the sacred mountain and lake in Xizang of China, fulfilling their lifelong dream. The competent departments of China and India are engaging in intensive discussions on issues such as the resumption of direct flight, the mutual dispatch of resident journalists and visa facilitation, striving to achieve tangible outcomes at an early date. China is willing to work with India to continue friendly exchanges in all walks of life, so that people of our two countries can visit each other just like relatives, and become closer and closer to each other.

Fourthly, jointly uphold international justice. At present, tariff wars and trade wars are disrupting the global economic and trade system, power politics and the law of the jungle are prevalent, and international rules and order have suffered severe impacts. The Global South is highly concerned about how China and India can strengthen cooperation and take the lead to help developing countries overcome difficulties, and safeguard international fairness and justice.

The essence of trade is to complement each-other's advantages and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, not a calculation of who loses and who gains, nor should it become a tool for pursuing individual selfish interests. The United States has long benefited greatly from free trade, but now it is using tariffs as a bargaining chip to demand exorbitant prices from various countries. The United States has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on India and even threatened for more. China firmly opposes it. In the face of such acts, silence or compromise only emboldens the bully. China will firmly stand with India to  uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

The SCO is an important platform for multilateral cooperation between China and India. In the 24 years since its establishment, the SCO has adhered to the "Shanghai Spirit", and bolstered cooperation in various fields starting from security cooperation. It has expanded from 6 member states to a "SCO family" of 26 countries spanning three continents, and has become a comprehensive regional organization with the largest geographical coverage and population, and huge potential.

Since China took over the SCO rotating chairmanship in July last year, China has acted on the slogan "Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move" and achieved multiple positive progress and outcomes. First, cooperation in various sectors has been deepened. China has hosted over 100 events as the SCO chair, covering multiple areas such as politics, security, military, economy and trade, investment, energy, education, connectivity, technological innovation, green industry, digital economy and people-to-people exchanges. Secondly, the mechanisms of the organization have been improved. China has worked with all member states to advance reform and innovation in various aspects such as the deliberation mechanism, cooperation pattern and permanent bodies, so as to ensure smoother and more efficient operation of the organization. Parties are accelerating the consultations regarding the establishment of a comprehensive center for dealing with security threats and challenges, a information security center, a center for fighting transnational organized crime and a counternarcotics center, to strengthen cooperation on law enforcement and security and to build a new paradigm for regional security cooperation. Thirdly, stronger commitment was made to the "Shanghai Spirit." The SCO has spoken up to uphold justice on major international and regional issues, firmly upheld the multilateral trading system and strongly condemned the abuse of force, sending a strong message of the SCO upholding peace and justice.  

The SCO Summit will be held in Tianjin on September 1. Leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations will attend the summit and related events. The Tianjin Summit will be the largest one in the  history of the SCO. We are willing to work with all parties including India to jointly hold a SCO summit featuring friendship, solidarity and fruitful outcomes, and jointly create a shining "South Moment" in global governance.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Unity is strength, when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." Let us join hands and work hard for a stronger Asia and a better world, and together we can open a new chapter of Dragon-Elephant Tango.

Thank you and Dhanyavaad!