Relations between China and India have in a sense become a paragon - a model of excellence - among countries with territorial disputes, a leading Chinese daily said Tuesday ahead of Prime Minister Manmhoan Singh's visit to Beijing.
Though there are a number of headaches between New Delhi and Beijing, neither side can afford to suffer a worsening relationship, according to an article in the Global Times.
Manmohan Singh is arriving in Beijing on the same day as are Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev and Mongolian Premier Norov Altankhuyag, which the newspaper described as a coincidence.
It stated that though the US and Japan enjoyed a close relationship, "China's ties with Russia, India and Mongolia are gaining momentum in terms of regional peace and development".
"However, it must be noted that China, Russia and India are not embarking on the road of 'constructing an alliance' and that the former's image as a power amid island disputes is not as awful as some analyse," it stated.
"The proverb 'no pain, no gain' is an appropriate one for today's China, which is capable of fostering a favourable external environment based on friendship and cooperation while coping with turbulence in the western Pacific region with its increasing strength."
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Pointing our that China was the largest trading partner of India, Russia and Mongolia, the article said in the Asia-Pacific region China was, first of all, a major trading partner "as well as a provider of benefits".
"Its (China's) unprecedented economic development and social prosperity have laid the foundation for its relations with surrounding nations," the article said.
According to the article, Sino-Russian ties have been seeing benign development ever since the Boris Yeltsin era and their bilateral economic, political and security interests are gradually being consolidated.
"Mongolia, long viewed as a wedge beside China, is also happy to undergo smooth development in bilateral ties," it said.
This leads to the conclusion that Japan constituted the biggest troublemaker in China's maritime sphere, "but it is unable to pose an overall threat", the article said.
"By properly handling the frictions with Tokyo, China is grabbing the opportunity to dominate relations with it," it said.
The article described China's diplomatic work so far this year as indicative of "boldness and resolve in gaining a greater initiative on the world stage despite complicated and seemingly intractable problems".