India and China celebrate 73 years of diplomatic relations

India and China celebrate 73 years of diplomatic relations. They established relations on 1 April, 1950.

The history of contacts between Indian and Chinese civilisations goes back more than 2,000 years. Those contacts have been diverse, ranging from cultural (it was from India that Buddhism came to China) to economic: India not only consumed Chinese goods, but also served as an important staging post on the trade route between China and Europe.

India and China are in the same blocs, SCO, BRICS and others, showing common or similar interests on many global issues and in many areas including foreign policy, trade, green development, climate change, food, energy security, global economic and financial situation, problems of the global South.

Both states continue to strengthen ties in both the economic and political spheres. The unprecedented growth in bilateral trade, increased Chinese investment in India's economy and the established practice of informal meetings between the leaders of the two countries are visible expressions of this process.

China and India are now the two most populous countries and have some of the fastest growing economies in the world. The rapid economic growth is having an impact on the international influence of China and India, in light of which the importance of bilateral relations between these countries is increasing.

China and India's relations are also developing in the BRICS format, which essentially grew out of the once proposed RIC-Russia-India-China format.

Photo: IStock