[Photo/Xinhua]

　　President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Tuesday his commitment to fostering the healthy and stable development of China-India relations to contribute to global peace and prosperity, as he exchanged congratulatory messages with Indian President Droupadi Murmu on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

　　In his message, Xi expressed readiness to work with Murmu to bolster strategic mutual trust, expand exchanges and cooperation across various fields, deepen communication and coordination on major international affairs, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border area.

　　China and India, both ancient civilizations, major developing countries and key members of the Global South, are at a critical stage of their respective modernization efforts, Xi noted.

　　The history of China-India relations demonstrates that the “cooperative steps of the dragon and the elephant“ is the right choice for the two sides, aligning fully with the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples, he added.

　　Xi called on both nations to view and handle their ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, seek a path of peaceful coexistence, mutual trust and common development as neighboring major countries, and work together to promote a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations.

　　Noting that India and China are two neighboring major countries, accounting for more than one-third of the global population, Murmu emphasized that a stable, predictable and friendly bilateral relationship will benefit both nations as well as the world.

　　She called on the two countries to take the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to jointly promote the sound and steady development of bilateral relations.