I recently had the opportunity to interact with students and faculty of Peking University, which I first visited way back in 1982. At that time, there were barely a dozen Indian students in China; today, some 14,000 Indians are studying here.

During the intensive interaction, I was struck by the high level of warmth and interest the students and faculty displayed toward India. For me, it was a potent symbol of the infinite distance India and China have traveled together and a strong indicator of the potential of closer engagement.

As we have entered a new year - and I complete my tenure in China - it is a time to reflect on the successes of the past year. During his visit to India in September 2014, President Xi Jinping emphasized: "China and India have a combined population of over 2.5 billion. If we speak with one voice, the whole world will listen, and if we join hands, the whole world will pay attention." On that occasion, our leaders articulated the vision of closer developmental partnership between India and China.