China and India can be friends, competitors and cooperative partners, according to ambassador of India to China Nalin Surie in an interview recently.

"Of course we are competitors, but we have cooperation. Indian companies want to find markets in China, and Chinese companies also want to find markets in India. But it's a huge market. We both have markets in both countries," Surie said, adding that competition is no harm to cooperation.

He said although there were periods of inactivity, India and China are neighbors with a history of extensive contact.

"Our two countries are in the process of rediscovering each other," he said, calling upon the peoples of the two countries to promote exchanges.

He said it is in both countries' interests to build trust and understanding and learn from each other's development experiences and reinvigorate efforts to resolve their differences.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will pay an official visit to India from April 9 to 12, one leg of his eight-day tour to south Asia covering Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India.

"The visit to India is expected to mark a new phase in the development and diversification of bilateral relations. It will further growth of mutual trust and understanding," the ambassador said.

He noted that besides meeting with Indian leaders, Premier Wen will also visit an IT center in India, give a speech in New Delhi and attend the inauguration of the China Culture Month in India.

Surie said India expects to facilitate increased exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation. "A series of important agreements in various fields is expected to be signed, for example sharing hydrologic information," said Surie.

The two Prime Ministers will no doubt discuss the border dispute during their meeting said ambassador, adding that Special Representatives of both countries have met four times already and their efforts have progressed in a positive manner.

Surie said relations with China had progressed steadily over the last five years and that the pace has quickened.

"The two economies have also continued to grow rapidly with bilateral interaction being strengthened. Bilateral trade has grown significantly and the challenge before us now is to sustain a sufficiently high growth rate," said Surie.

In 2003, China and India set up a Joint Study Group to examine the potential complementarities between the two economies. In 2004, China's trade volume with India was 13.604 billion US dollars, up 79.1 percent from a year earlier.

Surie said in addition to further developing trade and economic cooperation, the countries are strengthening exchanges in areas such as culture, education, science and technology.

The Ambassador said China and India have faced similar problems, despite following different developmental models. "Both are huge, developing countries and basically agricultural economies, with a lot of people still in poverty. So we can learn from each other's experiences in solving these problems," said Surie.

Surie assumed the post of Ambassador of India to China in August 2003. Before that he had come to China many times. He said China's development is impressive and the people here are friendly and increasingly interested in India.

"My family and I feel at home in China," said Surie.