Describe India's cultural and historical connection with China.
India and China have shared a long relationship since 1950, shaped by history, geography, culture, trade, and politics. Buddhism forms a strong cultural link as it spread from India to China around the 1st century CE through trade and pilgrimage. Chinese monks like Faxian and Xuanzang travelled to India, while Indian monks like Bodhidharma carried Buddhist teachings to China. The two countries continue to have strong trade relations today.