The flagship newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party has hailed the potential for increased economic and trade ties to bolster Sino-Indian relations.
A People’s Daily editorial entitled” Economic and Trade Cooperation is a Key Accelerator for Spurring Sino-Indian Relations” (经贸合作是促进中印关系重要加速器) points out that Sino-Indian bilateral trade reached USD$84.4 billion, for a 20.3% increase compared to the preceding year.
China’s imports from India posted a near 40% increase last year, while as of the end of 2017 China’s total investment in India exceeded $8 billion, an increase of over 200% since May 2015.
According to the People’s Daily expanding economic and trade interactions between China and India serve as the “accelerator and ballast stone for Sino-Indian relations.”
The publication of the editorial coincided with an informal two-day meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.