China–India relations major economies in the world. Growth in diplomatic and economic influence has increased the significance of their bilateral relationship. Cultural and economic relations between China and India date back to ancient times. The Silk Road not only served as a major trade route between India and China, but is also credited for facilitating the spread of Buddhism from India to East Asia. During the 19th century, China's growing opium trade with the East India Company triggered the First and Second Opium Wars. During World War II, India and China both played a crucial role in halting the progress of Imperial
Foreign aid to China Foreign aid to China Foreign aid to the People's Republic of China since 1949 has taken the form of both bilateral and multilateral official development assistance and official aid to individual recipients. In 1978, China and Japan normalized their diplomatic relations. Deng Xiaoping had been to Japan to sign a treaty and to look at its development. As a result, China decided to borrow 220 million dollars in soft loans from Japan when the amount of foreign currency preparation was 167 million dollars. China poured that money into social infrastructures. In 2001 it received US$1.4 billion in foreign aid, or