NEW DELHI - China and India should further deepen mutual trust and expand mutually beneficial and pragmatic partnership, said the Chinese envoy to India on Monday.

In an article entitled "Deepening Mutual Trust" published in the local daily The Hindu, Chinese Ambassador to India Wei Wei said that the year 2014 is the "Year of Friendly Exchanges between China and India and also the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence.

"The international situation is undergoing profound changes while the global economy is facing a depth adjustment. Against this backdrop, China and India should deepen mutual trust in a spirit of treating each other with sincerity as well as expand our pragmatic cooperation in political, economic, military, cultural and other fields with a broader vision and increasing efforts," said the envoy.

He said the prior task for both China and India is to develop the economy and improve people's living standard.

"Both sides should explore complementary cooperation in the major fields of infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, services, IT, telecommunication, investment, pharmaceutical and industrial parks," said Wei while emphasizing the importance of economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Both India and China need a favorable external environment especially in periphery and both sides should play a leading role in regional economic integration for the common development of neighboring countries and promote connectivity, mutual benefit and common prosperity in the region, he said.