'India, China should be inseparable strategic partners'

India and China, both emerging countries, should become "inseparable strategic partners" after overcoming the "deep scars" inflicted by the 1962 war and should make its 50th  anniversary a starting point for a promising bilateral cooperation, the State-run media said on Wednesday.

"Famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore used to describe China as a brother country. (Jawarharlal) Nehru encouraged people to sing Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai, a write-up in Global Times on the 50th anniversary of the war, one of the few that appeared in the Chinese media on the event, said.

"Unfortunately, the war in 1962 greatly affected the friendly relationship between the two countries, and the relationship didn't pick up until decades later. Friendly relationship between countries needs careful cultivation. But once destroyed, it takes a great deal of time and energy to restore it," it said.

While this year marked the 50th anniversary of the war, it is also the 'Year of China-India Friendship and Cooperation' announced by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, "a move delivering a clear signal that both countries would like to hide the deep scars brought by the historical conflict", it said.

"Despite the unpleasant history and development gap between China and India, both have a profound culture and diplomatic wisdom. As newly emerging countries, they hold similar stances in issues such as the global order, economic development and climate change. The two should become inseparable strategic partners," it said.

The article also dwelt on how India influenced China for centuries with the entry of Buddhism, which contributed to the unification of China.

"The civilisation of both China and India originated from the Himalayas and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. And there was no conflict during their historical change that lasted thousands of years. Sages brought India's ancient culture to China. After the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), China faced collapse. Buddhism contributed greatly to China's unification. Today, Indians have to come to China for documents if they want to know their cultural past," it said.

"Both China and India are emerging countries in the current international arena, and they face challenges from the outside world. The population of both countries together makes up 40 per cent of the world's total population. Their prosperity will benefit the whole world," it said.

"The border issues, historical problems and trade frictions are only a small part of Sino-Indian relations," it said, adding that the anniversary of the 1962 China-India conflict should become a starting point for the promising cooperation between the two countries.