At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, there was a lot of focus on China and India, because Asia's two major growth engines are expected to make a greater contribution to global economic growth.

But the two countries do not share each other's strength, which could have helped them uplift millions of more people out of poverty on both sides of their common border.

China's average GDP growth has been around 10 percent a year for more than two decades, while India's has been around 9 percent. Together, the two countries' GDP is about 40 percent of the United States.

China's core strength lies in its manufacturing sector, faster development of infrastructure like highways, high-speed railways, wind and solar energy, and a disciplined workforce. India gets its strength from its younger workforce, and its technical, scientific and management talents that have better communication abilities in English.

The strengths of the two neighbors can be mutually complimentary.

But for that to happen, the core area of the two nations' focus should be mutual trust and understanding - and they should not be swayed by other countries' opinions.

The two neighbors should have more people to people exchanges to understand each other's culture, and the earlier that happens, the better it will be for people of the two countries.

R.N.K. Krishnan, via e-mail

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