（ITC Maurya, New Delhi, September 27, 2011）

Hon. Shri Sanjay Singh, Secretary for East Affairs of MEA,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Tonight we are assembled here to celebrate the 62nd Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China. My colleagues and I warmly welcome you to share the festivity with us and thank you for your long-standing support to the development of China-India relations.

2011 is a hectic and productive year for our bilateral relations. Early this year, President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a fruitful meeting during the BRICS Summit in China. Yesterday, Premier Wen Jiabao met Indian Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia who is attending the first ever China-India Strategic Economic Dialogue in Beijing. Frequent exchanges of visits at various levels have become an important feature of our relations. On international and regional issues both sides maintain close consultation and coordination. In June of this year, an Indian military delegation paid a successful visit to China. All these interactions have greatly enhanced the mutual trust and cooperation.

In the economic field, the bilateral trade has maintained a strong momentum of growth in spite of the global economic uncertainty. Cooperation in the investment and financial sectors is expanding rapidly. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China opened its first branch in Mumbai. The China and India CEO Forum is in the making, aiming at taking China-India economic cooperation to a new height.

This year is declared as China-India Year of Exchange with emphasis on culture and People-to-People exchanges. Experience China--Sichuan Week was successfully held last April. A 500-member Indian youth delegation is currently visiting China and they were warmly received by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing few days ago. Besides, an acrobatic troupe of Yunan Province is also touring India recently to showcase China’s rich traditional culture.

China attaches great importance to the development of China-India Strategic Cooperative Partnership and will continue to deepen mutual trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and properly handle differences. As leaders of two countries stated on many occasions that a healthy and vibrant relationship between China and India is not only a fortune to the Chinese and Indian people, but also a blessing to the peace and development of Asia and the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

China all along pursues a path of peaceful development and is committed to upholding world peace and promoting common development for all countries. At the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century and on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, China has declared solemnly again to the world that peaceful development is a strategic choice made by China to realize its modernization, make itself strong and prosperous, and make more contribution to the building of a harmonious world of durable peace and common prosperity. China cannot develop itself in isolation from the rest of the world, and global prosperity and stability cannot be maintained without china. Facts have proved that it is correct for China to take the path of peaceful development and therefore China will firmly stick to it.

Thank you!