Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently sent a message to his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, in which he expressed profound condolences over the death of Professor Ji Xianlin, a prestigious Chinese scholar on Indian studies.

    Singh, on behalf of the Indian government and people, said in the message that Ji was one of the most famous Indologists in the world, adding he was widely respected for being a knowledgeable scholar on Buddhism and the 1,000-year-old history of India-China cultural exchanges. Ji had translated ancient Indian works into Chinese, and played a key role in boosting China's understanding of the Indian culture, Singh said. The Indian government and people gave the Padma Bhushan Award, one of the country's top civilian awards, to him in 2008 for his tremendous contributions to India-China ties, Singh said.

    The Indian prime minister said Ji's death made India lose a true friend and an outstanding person advocating the continuing development of the bilateral ties that have lasted for thousands of years.