China, India call for stronger trade ties

China and India called for stronger trade and investment ties between the countries, stressing the world's two most populous nations were friends and not enemies.

"The scale and level of bilateral trade is far from enough given the size of our two economies," Chinese commerce minister Chen Deming told a news conference after meeting Anand Sharma, India's c ommerce and industry minister in Beijing yesterday.

Sharma is presently on a three-day visit to China. He is accompanied by senior bureaucrats including commerce secretary Rahul Khullar and top officials from the ministries of animal husbandry, agriculture, industry, chemicals and information technology.

"There is great potential and room for growth in investment between the two nations," the Chinese minister added.

A commerce ministry statement issued in New Delhi said "the Chinese minister emphasised that China and India should work together to further develop their economic relationship as an important plank of their bilateral partnership."

"He agreed that both sides could work together to ensure more balanced trade," the statement added.