China and India will usher in a "new Asian century," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Tuesday, as he expressed hopes the world's two most populous countries would build on their improving relations.
"I have a belief, that is when China and India are truly strong enough to fully bring out their own spirit and style, then that will truly usher in a new Asian century," Wen told a press conference.
Wen played down concerns that China and India would become competitors when they became much stronger as they vied for foreign investment, energy and other scarce natural resources, as well as regional influence.
"I hope by then our two countries' fraternal and friendly relations will still be vibrant... and remain dear to the hearts of the two Oriental nations," Wen said.
China-India relations have improved in recent years as both countries have made efforts to complement instead of compete with each other's growth. The two nations signed a landmark agreement in January to jointly secure energy security, rather than trying to outbid each other to secure reserves. However the two countries however still have not resolved a decades-old border dispute.
India says China occupies 38,000 square kilometres (15,200 square miles) of Indian territory in Kashmir while Beijing claims 90,000 square kilometres of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The dispute led to a brief war in 1962. A formal cease-fire line was never established after the war but the border has remained mostly peaceful.
The two sides ended three-day talks on the boundary dispute this week without resolving the issue, although they agreed to continue the dialogue at an unspecified date.
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