In spite of ages of mistrust and animosity, there can be a way to forge the division between India and China. Both sides have rightly asserted that Sino-Pak relations are independent of improvement in Indo-China relations. In fact one way of bringing stability in South Asia would be for China and India to chalk out a mutually beneficial program. In this regard, the Chinese Premier, Zhu Rongji's visit to India, to build strong economic and business ties between the two nations is much welcomed. The two strongly emerging powers can contribute much to the development of their respective economies by exchanging ideas and matters on areas of common interest. It is hoped that by building understanding and co-operation, some mutual agreement and understanding could be reached on the border dispute.
Some of the areas that can bring about co-operation and understanding between the two nations are:
Explore new areas where India and China share more commonalties than divergences.
An initiation of a cultural dialogue between the two countries can help erase any misleading notions about each other's cultures.
To this end, there should be a lot of encouragement given to tourism. Chinese tourists should be allowed to visit India and similarly Indians should be allowed to visit and witness China's landmarks.
Student exchange programs can be initiated, where Chinese students can benefit from our education system, where English is largely the medium of instruction.
There should be an exchange of visits by high-level government officials and businessmen.
Trade delegations should be enhanced.
Trade fairs should be organized to publicize India's manufacturing expertise.
Indian cultural festivals should be organized to expose India's rich cultural heritage to the Chinese and vise a versa
In this age of information technology, media and communication should be explored to disseminate Indian culture and vise a versa
The Chinese history and culture should be taught in Indian schools and similarly Indian philosophy, history and culture could be taught to the younger generation
The embassies of either country can act as cultural representatives rather than mere political representatives of their respective governments.
Both being the hot new areas for the IT industry, they can build joint ventures in this area and work in building an intellectual pool
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