Beijing, May 26 (IANS): President Pranab Mukherjee, now on a four-day official visit to China, on Thursday said that "political understanding" between India and China is vital for closer developmental partnership.

"One of the ways it could be developed is through enhanced political communication. To build a people-centric partnership, there must be mutual trust predicated on mutual respect and a better appreciation of respective political and social systems. This can be achieved by closer contacts at all levels," Mukherjee said.

Delivering a lecture on India-China relations at Peking University in Beijing, Mukherjee said that both the countries have managed to maintain unity and growth during the times of global economic uncertainty.

"The joint contribution of the two countries to world economy as well as regional and global stability cannot be underestimated. India and China are poised to join the ranks of leading global powers," Mukherjee said. 

"The two countries are emerging economic powers and should remain equally focussed on nurturing global regional and global prosperity," Mukherjee added. 

Underlining the steps for people-centric India-China relations, the President said that both India and China were young societies and the youth share common aspirations and perceptions.

"The annual exchanges between India and China have been fruitful but both sides need to synergise their potential. In a digital age, joint film productions could be useful instruments for creating positive perceptions among our people," he said. 

He added: "Travel can also be a very important binding factor between the two countries. Indians would like to have more opportunities to travel to their holy sites in China and, in turn, welcome more Chinese visits to Buddhist pilgrimage centres in India."

He called upon the entrepreneurs in India and China to jointly innovate new model for business and said that trade and commerce can be the most powerful agents in boosting the ties.