New Delhi
Beijing
The People's Republic of China

Your Excellency Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council,

Upon the arrival of the New Year and the "Year of Friendship between India and China" agreed upon by both sides, I would like to extend, on behalf of the Indian government and people and in my own name, my warm congratulations and sincere greetings to Your Excellency, as well as the Chinese government and people.

The past year witnessed a couple of important milestone events in our bilateral relations, including the historic visit to India by Your Excellency. During the visit, we agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a "strategic cooperative partnership facing peace and prosperity". We also made important progress in handling some long-outstanding issues so that they would not influence the process of bilateral cooperative relations. We believe that in the new year we will be able to further deepen and enrich the rapidly developing bilateral relations with greater determination and add new important chapters to bilateral friendship.

To safeguard the friendship and peace between both sides is our common aspiration and also conforms to our common long-term strategic proposition on bilateral relations. Currently the rapidly developing bilateral relations have indeed surpassed the scope of bilateral relations and become an important decisive factor for peace, security, development and prosperity of Asia and the world at large. It is of great significance to continue enriching our bilateral exchanges and international cooperation. I'm very glad to recall the cordial talks with Your Excellency during the Kuala Lumpur East Asia Summit, in which we reaffirmed the common determination to commit to accelerating the momentum of broad cooperation between both countries.

Your Excellency, on the occasion when we hold a range of activities in celebration of the "Year of Friendship between India and China", we notice with satisfaction the continued and diversified development of bilateral relations. We believe that with common determination and joint efforts, both sides will surely be able to further enhance and strengthen bilateral partnership in the 21st century.

I wish Your Excellency good health, your great country prosperity and its people happiness.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister the Republic of India