NEW DELHI, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- During a Chinese New Year gala held at the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui on Thursday expressed his hope that relations between China and India would reach new heights.

The Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is like a blank book, an opportunity to write a new chapter in China-Indian relations, said Luo.

"We still think about each other in stereotypes which at times feed negative narratives. It will help if we engage more," said Ashok Kantha, India's former envoy to China.

The reception was attended by India's current Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale, along with a host of Indian members of parliament, diplomats and scholars.

Bilateral trade between the world's two most populous nations reached 88 billion U.S. dollars last year, a 20-percent increase year on year.