NEW DELHI: Singer Vidya Shah spent 10 days in China in October, travelling in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Guangzhou.

She also had several opportunities to interact with young Chinese people, discussing how young people shape their respective countries. "We also talked about how we feel about our culture and how we feel about the Western world coming into our cultures," she said.

She said she found a lot of similarities between Chinese and Indian young people. "One thing I noticed when I walked in the street and when I looked at young people, I don't think they (the Chinese young people) look too different from the way we dress and talk," she recalled.

"But I was also struck by their sense, they work very hard, are very disciplined and committed," she said.

Like Shah, some 500 more young people will have a chance to visit China in the next five years. President Hu Jintao made the promise twice yesterday, during the meet-the-press session at noon with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and at the joint-meeting he and Indian President Abdul Kalam held with Chinese and Indian youth representatives in the evening.

Both presidents highlighted the importance of youth as the hope of their nations and the future of the world.

"When I see you the youth of China and India, I can see more than 1 billion youths on our planet," Kalam said in his address. "The creative mind of the youth is indeed the most powerful of all the resources in the earth, on the earth and underneath the earth."

"You are here with young life, which, like the morning star, shines upon the unborn day of your country's future," said President Hu quoting Rabindranath Tagore. The famous Indian poet addressed young Chinese during his first visit to China in 1924.

Hu, who led a youth delegation to India 22 years ago, said he felt inspired by the youthful vigour and dynamism that Chinese and Indian young people demonstrated.

"I feel myself a much younger person as a result," Hu told his audience.

He added that the development of the two countries rests on young people, and the two countries' future will require the young people of the two countries to forge ahead.

The Sino-Indian youth exchange programme started this year with the Year of China-India Friendship.

Under the programme, Lu Hong, a graduate student from Beijing Normal University, arrived on Monday along with dozens of other Chinese to start their visit to India. She said she expected to exchange ideas with her Indian peers on youth development and try to understand each other.

Although Shah has been to China, she said she feels there is a lot more the young people from both countries can do to learn from each other.

"We feel we can share a lot from our side," she said. "Culturally we are very good, very rich ancient civilizations. Somehow, we need to connect on that; we need more conversations so that the Chinese will be more aware of our culture and civilization."

(China Daily 11/22/2006 page2)