Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: China’s President Xi Jinping said China and India were “good neighbours, friends and partners” as he wished President Droupadi Murmu congratulations on India’s Republic Day, the official Xinhua news agency reported on January 26.
Xi said that over the past year, China-India relations have continued to improve and develop and are of “great significance for maintaining and promoting world peace and prosperity,” according to Xinhua.
Xi said China has always believed that being “good neighbours, friends and partners” is the right choice for both China and India. He referred to China and India as the “dragon and the elephant dancing together.” Ties between the countries were shaken by a 2020 clash. Both countries began improving ties last year after staging a series of high-level bilateral visits.
Direct flights resumed in 2025 as both countries stepped up trade and investment flows against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s combative foreign policy. On January 26 the Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong attended the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. Last November, Xu Feihong had highlighted that China is ready to work with India as a doer in high-level practical cooperation.
“In the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will continue to strengthen the foundation of the real economy, accelerate high-level sci-tech self-reliance, and expand high-standard openingup. This will create more cooperation opportunities for all countries, including India,” he had said addressing a seminar on ‘China’s 15th Five-Year Plan New Blueprint for China’s Development, New Opportunities for China-India Cooperation’.