Unlike the Indian media, the state-run Chinese media did not go overboard to highlight the possibility of India-China nuclear energy cooperation but devoted much space to showcase that Chinese President's ongoing visit as a milestone in upgrading strategic bilateral ties.

While President Hu Jintao tours India, the two countries have mapped out a new drive to promise a new era of peace and prosperity. The visit will steer the bilateral ties in a more vibrant and forward-looking direction, the China Daily said in an editorial.

'The joint declaration and deals inked by the two countries on Tuesday in New Delhi map out their vision for the future, qualitatively upgrading bilateral relations to a strategic level,' it said.

Hu's ongoing trip is the most important event on the calendar for the year as he is the first Chinese president visiting India in a decade, the editorial noted, adding the visit marks a major milestone in bilateral relations, which have reached a certain level of maturity.

'Hu's meetings with a wide range of Indian dignitaries including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] will forge greater understanding of respective positions on issues bilateral, regional and international,' it said.

'Guided by the increasing trust they place in each other, the effort of China and India to lend a strategic dimension to the relationship assumes significance,' the paper said.

The two countries are willing to explore ways to enhance mutual engagement on pressing issues while continuing to address contentious aspects such as the boundary dispute, the report said, completely ignoring the significance of the possibility of cooperation between India and China in the civilian nuclear energy field.

'China and India realise the importance of not letting contentious issues get in the way of taking forward the bilateral relationship. Early settlement of the border issue is a strategic goal the two countries have been working hard for.

'China is always clear on negotiations so as to work out a fair and sensible solution acceptable to both,' the official newspaper said, parroting Beijing's [Images] stand on the vexed boundary issue.

The editorial went on to say that China and India, aware of their linked destinies as neighbours and the two largest countries of Asia would together contribute to the establishment of an atmosphere of mutual understanding, trust and co-operation in Asia and the world at large.

While all Chinese newspapers, including the ruling Communist Party's official mouthpiece, the People's Daily had front-paged Hu's visit, not much importance was given to the nuclear energy cooperation aspect. The official Xinhua news agency also did not highlight it.

On Thursday, the Chinese foreign ministry had said that it was open to civilian nuclear energy cooperation with other countries, including India on the basis of international non-proliferation regime norms.