Chinese scholars to visit India in key exchange

The Chinese consulate general in Kolkata, India, will hold in April a commemorative reception and co-organize an international conference on the completion of 100 years since the landmark maiden China visit by renowned Indian scholar and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Nearly 20 Chinese scholars and artists will go to India to attend the conference, which will be held at Visva-Bharati University, the co-organizer.

The seminar, on April 1, will coincide with the 75th anniversary of China-India diplomatic ties.

Visva-Bharati University, located in Santiniketan in India's eastern state of West Bengal, was founded by Tagore. It is famous for its Department of Chinese Language and Culture, which played a pioneering role in Chinese studies in India.

On March 25 the Chinese consulate general in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, held a media briefing to announce details of the upcoming event, which will mark the largest delegation of Chinese scholars to visit India in many years.

Consul General Xu Wei introduced the activities held by the consulate in 2024, including the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Tagore's visit to China and the China visits of friendly figures from East and Northeast India, as well as the arrangements for bilateral people-to-people exchanges in the first half of this year.

In April 1924, at the invitation of the Chinese Cultural and Literary Society, Tagore embarked on his first trip to China. During his nearly 50-day stay from April 12 to May 30, Tagore delivered numerous speeches and talks, facilitating cultural exchanges between China and India and enriching the history of friendly interactions between India and China.

Reporters from several large mainstream Indian media outlets attended the media briefing at the Chinese consulate in Kolkata on March 25. The journalist said they expect China-India relations to maintain stable development momentum, and are willing to strengthen connections with the consulate general, and actively report on relevant activities.

They also put forward suggestions for promoting exchanges and cooperation between the media of the two countries.

April 1 this year will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-India diplomatic relations. Xu said that people-to-people exchanges have played an important role in promoting the sound and stable development of bilateral relations.

He cited statistics of personnel exchanges and bilateral trade between China and India, emphasizing that the two countries should be partners that contribute to each other's success and achieve a cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant.

Xu called on the Indian media to report on China and Sino-Indian relations in a more objective and balanced manner to help the Indian people fully understand the real China.