BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- When neighbors trust each other, the whole neighborhood can be at peace. This same rule works in international politics.
Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid arrived in Beijing on Thursday. While meeting with him, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China and India are naturally strategic partners. The China-India bilateral relationship has global significance, with great potential for cooperation development.
On Monday, the two countries ended a standoff in the western section of the border they share.
China's Foreign Ministry said both sides have adopted a constructive and cooperative attitude and calmed the tension through border-related mechanisms, diplomatic channels and border defense meetings.
In an interview held before his visit to Beijing, Khurshid said the way both sides handled the incident demonstrated "tremendous maturity" in terms of dealing with border issues, as well as indicated that both sides possess understanding of each other's fundamental interests.
The border incident shows that the two sides still need to work on mutual trust, not only between governments, but also between people.
On the other hand, judging from how the two sides managed the situation and settled the incident, China and India have realized that they have a shared interest in maintaining a peaceful and positive relationship.
The world cannot afford a confrontation between China and India, whose combined populations account for roughly one-third of the global population.
Both ancient civilizations, China and India have a largely peaceful history and good reasons to trust each other.
In the old days of the Silk Road, the two countries aided each other in boosting technological progress and cultural development. Buddhism, Indian music and art were incorporated into Chinese culture, while silk, tea and papermaking from China benefited India.
After India attained independence and the People's Republic of China was founded, the two countries worked together in promoting the interests of developing countries.
Today, both countries have even more common ground in international economic and political issues.
In mid-April, diplomats from China and India held their first discussion on Afghanistan security issues, stating that they believed talks between China and India would play a constructive role in solving related problems.
As visiting Khurshid said, both India and China are playing increasingly important roles in international affairs. Strengthening bilateral cooperation meets the fundamental interests of both sides.
Border issues are a historical legacy that the two countries have to live with. China has expressed willingness to work with India in conducting border negotiations and seeking a fair and reasonable solution.
Before a solution is reached, the two sides will have to jointly maintain peace along the border and prevent isolated incidents from undermining mutual trust.
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