As the "Year of China-India Friendship" draws to an end, can you sum up its main achievements?

The purpose of the Friendship Year is to celebrate our millennia-old friendly ties and to make our citizens cognizant of each other's rich and distinctive cultural heritages. To a large extent, we have been able to achieve these objectives. This year has witnessed a number of important visits, which brought our Lok Sabha [lower house of parliament] speaker and a parliamentary delegation, India's defense, science and technology and energy ministers and also chief ministers of several Indian states to China.

Through a series of events like the Indian Film Festival, comprehensive cultural festival, academic seminars on Indian literature, reciprocal visits of a 100-member youth delegation and the upcoming exhibition of rare specimens of ancient Indian art in four different cities in China, we have also tried, and are trying, to introduce, in a focused manner, the various facets of India's cultural traditions and heritage to Chinese audiences. Our civilization and spiritual ties are also being reinvigorated in this year of friendship through the building of an Indian-style Buddhist shrine in the historic White Horse Temple complex in Luoyang. This awareness of, and interest in, each other's culture and enduring bilateral links, constitute an essential element of friendship, and to the extent we have realized it, through the events and exchanges organized this year, we can call the Friendship Year a success. Of course, the gains need to be sustained and further consolidated in the years ahead.

How can China and India enhance collaboration in multilateral forums?

India and China are two important developing countries. Both nations face similar challenges and opportunities and they have similar perceptions on several regional and global issues, which offer opportunities for closer cooperation and coordination in regional and international forums. They are cooperating and coordinating their efforts in dealing with regional and global issues in the fields of developmental economics, climate change, energy security and fight against drug trafficking and other cross-border crimes. The two countries are mindful that such cooperation not only benefits the two countries but is also in the larger interest of the whole world. As two large countries in the inter-connected globalized world of today, developments within their respective borders have global implications, and vice versa. Starting from this perspective, the two countries have started a process of sharing their respective developmental experiences with each other and with other developing countries in Asia and Africa.

Western media like making comparisons between China and India. In your opinion, what are the similarities, and what are the differences?

By their sheer scale, rapid economic growth and rising international status, India and China are of interest to the rest of the world in their own right. Media comparisons between our two countries stem from our common aspirations for growth and development, albeit along the differing trajectories pursued within our respective socioeconomic environments. The fact that India and China are today two of the fastest growing economies makes their comparison more than just an academic exercise.

As developing economies, India and China are both faced with a similar set of opportunities and challenges, and could learn from each other's experiences. Globalization and a relaxed trade and investment regime have coincided with higher growth rates for both countries. Both India and China are transitional economies in terms of occupational structure, and a majority in each country is still absorbed in farm activities. Poverty, although diminishing over the period of reforms in our respective countries, is still high in absolute terms, and inequalities of income distribution, across regions or social groups, still persist. Health and environmental challenges are also appearing in both countries in the process of economic development and industrialization.

At the same time, there are basic differences in our experiences of development. India's economic growth is primarily driven by domestic demand, while export, often fuelled by foreign investment, has been the major component of China's growth trajectory. Foundations for India's economic growth were laid by our long-standing focus on higher and technical education, while in China, world-class infrastructure and high reach of primary education have induced great changes. As a corollary, India emerged as a knowledge economy, with a reputation for financial and software services, while China became a major global supplier of manufactured goods. China has built several state-owned or joint-stock industrial leviathans, while India's private sector has thrown up a number of global players.

The important thing is not to couch comparisons between India and China in normative terms. Our economies are still evolving, and we are adopting each other's best practices in a common endeavor to benefit our respective populations. For instance, India is trying to replicate China's institutional innovation of special economic zones, while China is seeking India's expertise in IT.