They believe the declaration will promote mutual trust and the long-term development of bilateral relations, and help safeguard the stability, prosperity and development of South Asia.

The declaration on the principles for relations and comprehensive cooperation between China and India was signed in Beijing Monday.

Looking back on that day, when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed the declaration and exchanged texts, Wen said: "We made one great achievement."

Chinese experts point out that the declaration will contribute to building a new framework for China-Indian relations.

According to the declaration, the two sides agreed that each will appoint a special representative to explore, from the political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship, the framework of a border agreement.

This will propel the settlement of the long-standing border issue into a substantive phase, said Ma Jiali, an expert specializing in China-Indian relations at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

The declaration was the most formal diplomatic document. China and India had before issued only statements and other government documents.

Ma said that the signing of the declaration demonstrates that the two countries will build more stable and lasting bilateral ties.

The British Financial Times called the declaration "a milestone" which lays the foundation for a new era of good-neighborly relations between China and India.

The Chinese expert takes special note that the Indian side clearly recognizes that the Tibet Autonomous Region is part of the territory of the People's Republic of China.

Ma said that this is the first time that the Indian government has recognized that Tibet is part of Chinese territory. India formerly recognized Tibet as an autonomous region of China. In other words, Tibet enjoyed "a high degree of absolute autonomy".

Ma noted that the Tibet issue has long been the most important and sensitive issue in China-Indian relations.

Sun Shihai, deputy director of the Institute for Asian-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the articles stating that "the two countries are not a threat to each other," and "neither side shall use or threaten to use force against the other" are, in fact, a non-aggression pact.

This is of vital importance to the stability, security and peace between the two countries.

The declaration has resolved the problem of the lack of political trust between the two countries from a legal perspective, Sun said.

The declaration paves the way for cooperation in the economic and cultural fields and for the further development of the bilateral relationship as a whole, he said, adding that it is only natural for the declaration to have such diverse content.

The declaration emphasizes the complementarity of the two economies; provides for the establishment of a joint research team composed of officials and economists; proposes the setting up of a dialogue mechanism on fiscal and financial sectors and on cultural exchange centers in the two countries.

Vajpayee said, before leaving India, that he was going to China for the purpose of friendship and for conveying the information of peace, friendship, trust, understanding and cooperation to China.

As the first Indian prime minister to visit China in a decade, Vajpayee received a similar message from Chinese leaders during their meetings, that is, the importance of treating neighbors kindly and as partners.

Trust has replaced suspicion, and cooperation has overcome isolation, Sun said, adding that the relations between the two most populous countries have entered a new stage of peace, cooperation and friendship.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2003)