A Valentine's Day for all to celebrate

Aug 28 is Chinese Valentine's Day, also known as Qixi. But this year it will also be remembered as the day that China and India successfully resolved their 70-day long border standoff through diplomatic means.

It was a feeling of relief for many, as both the Chinese and Indian governments announced the end of the standoff on Monday.

Tensions between the world's two most populous nations had escalated after Indian border troops illegally crossed the well-delineated China-India border in the Sikkim Sector into China's Donglang area on June 18.

While the Chinese military has shown strong resolve to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Chinese government has exercised its utmost restraint by fully exploring diplomatic and peaceful means.

After all, China and India, despite their brief border war in 1962, trace their neighborly relations to ancient times. The ancient Silk Road, for example, served not only as a major trading route between the two countries, but also helped spread Buddhism from India to East Asia.

As the world's two largest developing nations, China and India have every reason to avoid a war or any military conflict and rather focus on their economic and social development and the improvement of their peoples' lives.

Trade and investment relations between the two countries have grown rapidly in the past years.

Yet, that's just the beginning for the two fast-developing nations, which have huge potential for cooperation.

The BRICS Summit, to be held in Xiamen, China, from Sept 3-5 will gather leaders from China, India, Russia, Brazil and South Africa and provide another huge opportunity for them to pursue win-win cooperation that not only benefits the five countries, but the whole world.

The mistake India made on June 18 should not be repeated. And China and India - and the whole world - should now celebrate as the border standoff was solved peacefully and diplomatically.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily USA