NEW DELHI, Feb. 11 -- Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari and visiting Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi Tuesday launched here in the presence of some 500 people the India China Year of Friendly Exchanges.

Yang said that China-India friendship dates back to ancient times and over the course of millennia, the two ancient civilizations have benefited each other and added to their respective luster, thus jointly creating a fascinating history of glory and proudness.

He quoted Ji Xianlin, an Indology master of China, as once described China and India as destiny to be together, while saying that Indian poet Tagore also called China and India two time- honored and intimate brothers.

Yang recalled that some sixty years ago, China, India and Myanmar, observing the trend of the times, jointly put forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence which he said remains the basic norms governing international relations to this day.

"Since the beginning of the 21st century, China and India have both embarked on the modernization drive and become the world's most dynamic emerging markets. Thanks to the joint efforts of leaders and people of all sectors in the two countries, China and India have established a strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity, broadened and deepened their exchanges and cooperation in all areas, and brought tangible benefits to their peoples," Yang said.

Yang said the dreams of both China and India to realize their national renewal are interlinked and can support each other.

"Just as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pointed out unanimously, the Chinese dream is closely linked with the Indian dream and they fit in to each other very nicely. As long as we work together for common development, we will surely make our respective dreams of national renewal a reality," said Yang.

Ansari said that India and China have been developing very good relations in political, economic fields and people-to-people exchanges and India expects to consolidate its relations with China in the future.

The Indian leader also expected the two countries to carry out more fruitful cooperation in infrustructure projects and industrial park construction to push the economic and trade ties to a new high.

Yang was here since Monday to attendthe 17th round of boundary talks between special representatives of the two countries in the Indian capital. He met Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon during the talks, besides paying a visit to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the latter's official residence here.