THE 2006 China-India Friendship Year has been taken one step further with the recent announcement that 2007 will be the China-India Friendship Year Through Tourism.

According to China's Foreign Minister, Mr Li Zhaoxing, the aim of the year is to further develop a bilateral strategic and co-operative partnership between the two countries. This will be achieved through six main areas, including the promotion of cultural exchanges in education, tourism, religion, media and sports.

The Chinese government announced that as part of the tourism exchange programme, it would invite 500 young Indians to visit China over the next five years. Over the course of the year, it will also establish other tourism initiatives, including improving air connectivity between the two countries, continuing to liberalise the visa regime, and opening an office of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) in India and an Indian Tourism Office in China.