It is possible for a dragon and an elephant to be on good terms with each other.

And that is the current case with China and India. Premier Wen Jiabao, on his first visit to India, reached a consensus with his host on keeping the issue of border disputes on the backburner.

They have decided to reinforce the pragmatic cooperation path that the two countries have embarked on.

Wen's Indian visit, an important part of his South Asia tour, is expected to drive forward the 55-year modern relationship between the two countries.

The border disputes remain unsettled. But they will not become a drag on the progress of their relations. While working out a mechanism for a peaceful settlement of the issue, the two countries realize there is much to be gained by cooperation, and by expanding commerce and trade relations.

Big does not necessarily mean rivalry. There are a lot of things that bring us together. Both of us prefer a world order that is more multipolar and takes greater account of our roles. The Chinese are no stranger to their neighbor's Bollywood movies and curries.

We have always looked on our big neighbor on the other side of the Himalayas as our partner. We are happy to read the same message from them.

People of the two countries have been getting to know each other better, which helps build trust. This lays a solid foundation for healthy progress in bilateral relations and more cooperation.

The warm ties are going to bring concrete results. China and India are to open a free trade zone, an initiative China proposed to India when State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan visited the country last October.

Efforts will be taken to reduce the areas of friction between the two countries, such as establishing a coordination mechanism to avoid hostile competition over energy. There is no doubt that trade is the engine driving Sino-Indian relations forward.

However, there is a lot to be desired with the two countries' trade links. Bilateral trade stood at US$13.6 billion in 2004.

That is only 1 percent of China's global trade, and 9 percent of India's. This indicates the huge opening for hard work from the two countries.

Cooperation will help our individual economies. Bilateral investment flows are small, but growing.

Chinese information technology companies want to learn from India's success in the service sector. Premier Wen started his four-day India visit in Bangalore, the country's "Silicon Valley."

China's manufacturing prowess is attractive to Indian companies. China now is a destination for some Indian software and services companies.

China's new leadership has fine-tuned foreign policy for better getting along with our neighbors, considering them as our partners.

The two countries' economic growth and potential for faster development have fueled outsiders' curiosity concerning a race between the two.

But the two are not rivals on any front, including the political and economic. Progress in the two countries will consolidate the building blocks for further cooperation.

The ups and downs of bilateral relations over the past 55 years have offered a plethora of lessons for the two countries' leaders. They are building a more mature relationship based on rationality and pragmatism.

As early as in 2003 the two countries set up a joint study group on how their economies could benefit from each other and mapped out a blueprint for developing bilateral economic and trade links.

This positive momentum on the economic front gave wings to the advancement of bilateral ties.

Since 1990 every visit of Chinese and Indian high-ranking officials has pushed bilateral relations one stride forward.

And there are now high hopes over what Premier Wen's visit to India will yield for Sino-Indian relations.

(China Daily April 11, 2005)