Premier Li Keqiang met with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, who was paying a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People on May 26.

Premier Li said that China and India both are ancient civilizations and the largest developing countries in the world. Both countries adhere to an independent diplomatic policy, and will provide each other with opportunities for development, he said.

“You and President Xi Jinping have promoted the relationship of the two countries through mutual visits,” the Premier said. China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with India, enhance strategic mutual trust, and deepen pragmatic cooperation in all fields, he added.

The Premier urged enhancing people-to-people exchanges, addressing differences, and beefing up coordination in big international and regional issues in order to promote the China-India relations toward Asian prosperity and progress as well as world peace and stability.

Premier Li noted that despite the sluggish development of the world economy, both China and India have maintained a medium-to-high speed of economic growth.

“We are willing to tap the potential for mutual cooperation and promote the meeting of strategies such as Made in China 2025 and Internet Plus with Made in India and Digital India,” he said.

China will cooperate with India in production capacity and railways, and promote the construction of major projects, including the economic corridor linking Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar, the Premier said.

China will look for new growth points for pragmatic cooperation and promote a balanced development of bilateral trade with India, he said.

“The cooperation and common development of China and India will benefit over one-third of the world population and will effectively promote the recovery of world economy,” said the Premier.

Mukherjee said, “I have come to visit China several times, and seen remarkable and fast economic growth in China. India and China are important neighbors, and it is of great importance to develop bilateral relations.”

The two countries should further tap the potential for cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, investment, manufacturing, information technology, and intelligent cities, Mukherjee said. “We will make more efforts to enhance people-to-people exchanges, expand consensus, reduce differences and develop closer friendship,” he added.