Dear Mr. Suwan, Chairperson of Confederation of Young Leaders of India,
Ladies, Gentlemen and Friends,
Namaste!

First of all, I would like to welcome our young Indian friends to visit the Chinese Embassy. My colleagues and I were deeply impressed by your youthful vigor while entering the hall. This is the third China-India Youth Dialogue co-organized by our Embassy and the CYL. The previous one was held in early 2020 when we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Five years later, it is of great practical significance that our young people gather here once again to discuss the friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and India, and jointly usher in the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

China and India are two nations that are both ancient and young. We are deemed ancient because, as cradles of human civilizations, both of our countries boast time-honored history and splendid culture. Over more than two millennia, we have learned from and enriched each other, casting a significant impact on world civilization and human progress. Historically, the economies of China and India led the world for a long time. According to the British economist Angus Maddison, over the past 2000 years, the GDP of China and India combined accounted for half of the world’s total for 1600 years. We are deemed young because, as two most populous countries across the globe, we have the largest number of young people in the world. Our youth population exceeds the total population of any other country, and serves as an inexhaustible source of vitality for the development of both countries. Contributing to more than half of the global economic growth, China and India are now leading the collective rise of emerging economies and developing countries, and promoting positive changes in the international balance of power.

I am very delighted to have the opportunity to work and live in India. Since I took office nine months ago, I have visited Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. I traced the footsteps of President Xi Jinping's state visit to India ten years ago. I visited the places where envoys of China-India friendship such as Xuanzang, Tagore and Dr. Kotnis once studied and lived. And I felt the pulse of India’s rapid development and the charm of its diverse culture. Last November, the Tamil film “Maharaja” from Kollywood became a hit in China. It reminded me of the excellent Indian films such as “Awaara” and “Caravan” in my own youth memories. I deeply feel that China and India not only have close historical and cultural connections, similar social values and common development goals, but also have a solid foundation of people-to-people friendship. This further strengthens my confidence in the future development of China-India relations.

Dear friends,

The China-India relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. A sound and stable China-India relationship meets the expectations of the two peoples and the international community. Last October, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi successfully held a bilateral meeting on the margins of the BRICS Summit in Kazan. They agreed to view and handle China-India relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, prevent specific disagreements from affecting the overall relationship, strengthen strategic communication, enhance strategic mutual trust, ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas, and bring the relationship back to the track of sound and steady development at an early date. The 23rd Special Representatives' Meeting on China-India Boundary Question and Vice Foreign Minister-Foreign Secretary Dialogue were successfully held in Beijing, and reached a series of common understandings on the boundary question and practical cooperation. This creates an important opportunity for the reboot of China-India relations and provides a broader platform for exchanges and cooperation between the youth of our two countries. We should implement the important consensuses reached by the leaders of our two countries, mutually respect each other’s core interests, view each other's development as an opportunity, encourage exchanges and visits in various fields and at different levels, enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust, and work together to achieve common development and rejuvenation.

Dear friends,

President Xi Jinping said that youth is the future of a country and the hope of a nation. Prime Minister Modi also said that when youth come together to brainstorm on taking the country forward, we get concrete results. All of you are the mainstay in the nation-building of our two countries and the dynamic force of China-India friendship. Our predecessors dedicated to the cause of China-India friendship have set great examples for us. We should carry forward the cause, take on our responsibility, fully utilize our strengths, and make our efforts to achieve more than our predecessors. I would like to take this opportunity to make three suggestions to you.

First, we should be promoters of China-India relations. The future of China-India relations lies in the hands of our youth. Chinese youth are striving for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Indian youth are working towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. China-India relations are entering the phase of recovery. We will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. It is hoped that the youth of the two countries could actively contribute their wisdom and strength to the improvement of bilateral relations. We will continue to provide more platforms for exchanges between the youth of our two counties, and advance cooperation in the fields such as education, science and technology, culture, media and sports. We also hope that the Indian side could further facilitate the visits of the Chinese youth to India.

Second, we should be standard bearers of China-India friendship. Friendship between the peoples holds the key to sound state-to-state relations, and heart-to-heart communication contributes to deeper friendship. Our two peoples have been interconnected and learning from each other since ancient times. We should enhance exchanges and help each other succeed in this era. Our youth should take up the baton passed on by history, draw wisdom from our ancient civilizations, carry forward the cause of China-India friendship, and deepen the traditional bond between our two countries. Language is the bridge for communication. More than 20 universities in China have established the majors of Hindi, Tamil and other Indian languages, and more than 30 Indian universities offer various courses of Chinese language. We should further enhance cooperation in language education to cultivate more successors for the cause of China-India friendship. China welcomes more young people to visit each other’s countries, sow more seeds of China-India friendship and bring our two peoples even closer.

Third, we should be envoys of the correct perceptions of China and India. As important neighbors, it is crucial for China and India to foster correct perceptions about each other. Certain forces, who are unwilling to see the friendly coexistence of our two countries, are trying to sow discord between us. They exaggerate the so-called "China threat" and "China crash" fallacies, and claim that China does not want India to develop and it is difficult for us to become partners. Some Indian friends only learn about China through western media reports, many of which are with prejudice. I hope the young people could maintain an open and rational mindset, and not be trapped in the "information cocoon" or misled by negative perspectives. We should make efforts to translate the important consensuses reached by our leaders into common understandings of our peoples, namely China and India are each other’s development opportunity rather than threat, and cooperation partner rather than competitor. We should resume the exchanges of resident journalists, and make full use of the internet and social media to comprehensively present the real China and India. Recently, "Travelling in China" videos created by some Indian vloggers have gone viral on the internet. "Studying in India" has also frequently become a trending hashtag in China’s social media. It is hoped that all of you could continue to utilize your strengths, tell true stories of our two countries from the perspective of youth, to help our two peoples form correct views on China and India.

China and India are both important members of SCO, BRICS and G20. As rotating presidency of SCO, China will host the SCO Summit this year, and hold over 100 meetings and events under the slogan of "Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the move", so as to further deepen practical cooperation in various fields within the SCO. Since joining the SCO in 2017, India has made important contributions to the development of the organization. China is willing to work with India and other member states to jointly host a friendly, united and fruitful summit, and contribute "SCO strength" to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. We warmly welcome young friends from India to actively participate in youth, cultural and economic activities under the SCO framework, and promote people-to-people friendship and mutual learning among civilizations through concrete actions.

Dear friends,

The purpose of today’s youth dialogue is to bring the young people of our two countries together, enhance mutual understanding, inspire new thoughts and ideas, and promote the development of China-India relations. I hope that all of you could fully and actively share your insights in the following discussions, and contribute to advancing the friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and India.

Thank you and dhanyavaad!