Consul General to Kolkata Zha Liyou feels stability in India-China relationship is essential for peace and prosperity in Asia

"The stability of the China-India relationship is of great significance to the peace and prosperity of Asia and the development of the world," he said while addressing an event to mark the Chinese New Year celebration in Kolkata.

"We are willing to work with the Indian side to meet each other halfway, properly handle our differences, support each other and achieve mutual success," he said.

"We want to avoid mutual suspicion," he said.

He said China is willing to maintain communication and coordination with India in major mechanisms like G20 and BRICS to jointly solve major global issues like climate change, terrorism and Artificial Intelligence.

He said the trade relationship between China and India is witnessing steady progress.

"The total bilateral trade between the two countries reached 136.218 billion USD. It witnessed a year-on-year increase of 1.5 per cent," he said.

"It shows people of both sides are working very hard to achieve this," he said.

An energetic performance of the traditional lion dance by skilled dancers and the beating of Chinese drums welcomed the guests in Kolkata who attended the New Year festival in the city hosted by the country's Consulate.

The event also marked the farewell reception of Chinese Consulate General Zha Liyou who looked back to his five-year tenure in Kolkata when he told IBNS: "I feel proud that during my five-year tenure, due to the concerted effort of everyone in the community, the relationship between East India and China has gradually strengthened."

"I feel proud looking back to my five-year journey to India," he said.

"I take this opportunity to thank my friends for all the support they gave to my office," he added.

(Reporting by Supriyo Hazra)