Hu says China, India "complementary"

Hu Jintao, only the second Chinese president to visit India, said the two countries should work to build more political trust, consolidate business links and establish a strategic partnership. Hu's comments were considered an attempt to reassure New Delhi that China is not trying to contain India's rise, the <i>South China Morning Post</i> reported. "Our development endeavours are not mutually exclusive," Hu said. "Our economies are complementary, we can form synergy… to improve international competitiveness." Trade between the two countries is expected to touch US$20 billion this year. During the visit, both countries have agreed to boost trade and renew efforts to solve a long standing dispute over a 38,000 square-kilometer Tibetan plateau China seized in the 1962 war.