Beijing: Defence Minister George Fernandes on April 21 began an important visit to China with Premier Wen Jiabao saying that India and China should do more to cement their friendly ties.

"Our two big countries should always be friendly with each other from generation to generation," Wen said during a meeting with Fernandes at the leafy Zhongnanhai Chinese leadership compound.

Fernandes is the first Indian leader to meet China's new generation of Communist Party and government leaders who took charge of the party and government in November last and in March this year.

While warmly welcoming Fernandes to China on his first-ever visit, Wen pointed out that China and India have enjoyed friendly co-operation and contacts since 2nd Century BC and felt that the two countries needed to do more to strengthen their ties.

"So I think during the past 220 years, or about 99 9 per cent of the time, we have devoted to friendly co-operation between our two countries," Wen, also a politburo standing committee member of the ruling Communist Party of China, said.

The remaining 0.1 per cent time which the Chinese Premier did not refer to could be the 1962 India-China war as well as the disturbances after the 1998 nuclear tests by India for which India cited "China threat".

Wen also pointed out that China and India are the two ancient civilisations in the world and the population of the two countries added together would constitute nearly half of the world's population.

PTI