BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a congratulatory message on the holding of the first meeting of China-India high-level people-to-people exchanges mechanism in India's capital New Delhi.

In the message, Xi said that China and India are both ancient civilizations boasting long history and splendid culture, adding that the two civilizations, with close exchanges and mutual learning from the ancient time, have both made significant contributions to the human development and progress.

Today, Xi said, China-India relations are actively moving forward, with mutual political trust deepening, practical cooperation accelerating, people-to-people and cultural exchanges flourishing, and bilateral coordination in international and regional affairs sustaining.

It has been proved by practice that a good bilateral relationship benefits not only both countries but also the whole world, Xi added.

The Chinese president also expressed the hope for the two sides to make proper use of the high-level people-to-people exchanges mechanism.

With the help of the profound implication in the two Oriental civilizations, China and India should promote the communication between the minds of the two peoples and forge a closer development partnership, Xi said.