PRESS RELEASE
Indian President Calls for Rejuvenating a ‘People-Centric’ Partnership between China and India
May 26, 2016(EIRNS)—Speaking before the students and faculty of Beijing University today on the topic "India-China Relations: 8 steps to a people-centric partnership," Indian President Pranab Mukherjee said
"India and China are poised to play a significant and constructive role in the 21st Century. When Indians and Chinese come together to address global challenges and build on their shared interests, there will be no limits to what our two peoples can jointly achieve," PTI reported. Mukherjee is in the third day of his four-day visit to China.
In his speech, Mukherjee emphasized closer people-to-people interactions to overcome the misgivings that may stunt the bilateral relations. While pointing out that
"both sides should work with the aim of ensuring that we do not burden our coming generations by leaving our unresolved problems to them,"
he said "both India and China are ’young’ societies. Our youth share common aspirations and perceptions." "Greater exchanges between institutions of higher learning, more cultural festivals and joint research and scholarship programs can help dispel the notion that we need to look to the West and not to each other to make progress in education, science & technology," he added, President Office’s press release noted.
Recalling the interactions between the Indian and Chinese academics, and their achievements, back in the sixth century, Mukherjee said:
"As far back as the 6th century, seats of higher learning in the Indian sub-continent like Nalanda, Takshashila, Vikramashila, Vallabhi, Somapura and Odantapuri had drawn scholars and cultivated contacts and academic exchanges with famed institutions of other countries in the region and beyond. Takshashila was, in a sense, the most ’connected’ of the Indian universities, a meeting ground of four civilizations—Indian, Persian, Greek and Chinese. Many renowned people came to Takshashila—Panini, Alexander, Chandragupta Maurya, Chanakya, Charaka, and Chinese Buddhist monks Faxian and Xuanzang,"
he said, PTI reported.
