"As the two biggest developing nations, China and India must continue to put forth their upmost efforts to eliminate poverty," said Sun Shihai, deputy director of the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, during an interview at the India-China Development Forum in Beijing on Tuesday.

Sun Shihai, deputy director and senior researcher at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) [CnDG by Jiao Meng]

"I totally agree with the idea of 'inclusive growth' presented by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It means all groups of people contribute to creating opportunities, share the benefits of development and participate in decision-making," Sun said. "The government should balance the development between the economy and society, and increase the welfare of rural residents and other socially vulnerable groups."

"China has made great progress to pull people out of poverty since reforming and opening up in 1978. But still, there is a lot more work to do," Sun said. "The wealth gap in China seems to have widened recently, which the authorities should pay special attention to."

He added, "Almost 70 percent of Indians are farmers. The Indian government also needs to make untiring efforts to shake off poverty as well."

Sun believes that China and India have a lot they can cooperate on to achieve this goal. He suggested that officials and scholars from both sides should enhance communication through exchange visits and training courses.

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Sino-Indian diplomatic relations, the 2010 India-China Development Forum was organized by the China Internet Information Center and China Development Gateway. It was sponsored by the China International Publishing Group.

(China Development Gateway by Jiao Meng April 1, 2010)