Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, New Delhi, March 29, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

NEW DELHI - Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday afternoon on the sidelines of a BRICS summit.

As the two largest developing nations and two major Asian powers, China and India face important development opportunities and China-India relations have great potential for further development, said Hu.

China is willing to see a peaceful, developed and prosperous India, and is committed to building a more rigorous China-India relationship, he added.

The Chinese president put forward a five-point proposal on promoting China-India relations.

First, the two countries should maintain high-level contacts and increase political mutual trust, said Hu. The two countries should also expand exchanges between their governments, legislatures, political parties and the military, strengthen strategic communication through various consultation mechanisms and carry out dialogues on new topics such as maritime cooperation, he said.

Second, the two sides should deepen practical cooperation and expand mutual benefits, said the Chinese president. The two countries should enhance economic policy coordination and cooperate in the fields of infrastructure, information technology, mutual investment and environmental protection.

Third, China and India should expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges so as to promote mutual understanding, he said.

Fourth, the two countries should properly handle their differences and work for peace and stability, said Hu. He urged to push forward border talks in the spirit of peace, friendship, equality, mutual respect and mutual understanding so as to jointly safeguard peace and security on the borders.

Finally, Hu said the two countries should strengthen communication and coordination to expand cooperation in international affairs. China and India should enhance coordination and cooperation within the frameworks of the United Nations, the Group of 20 and BRICS, among others, and work together to address major global challenges such as climate change, energy and food security.

He added that the two sides should enhance dialogue and coordination on regional issues to safeguard peace and stability and promote common development in the region.

Singh said India-China relations are one of the most important bilateral relationships in the 21st century. The two countries can learn from each other and work together for development as both countries are seeking fast development.

He said India is ready to maintain high-level contacts with China so as to deepen mutual trust and expand mutually beneficial cooperation.

India is ready to promote bilateral trade and mutual investment so that bilateral trade could reach $100 billion by 2015, said Singh.

He said India will adopt concrete measures to encourage Chinese investment to help promote India's infrastructure development.

India has no intention to contain China and will not take part in any schemes aimed at containing China, said Singh. India recognizes the Tibet Autonomous Region as part of China and will not allow Tibetans to pursue anti-China activities in India, he said.

He also expressed the hope to work with China to maintain peace and security on the borders and properly resolve border issues through friendly talks.

After the meeting, Hu and Singh attended a ceremony marking the beginning of the "Year of China-India Friendship and Cooperation" activities.