Amid a mutual desire to expedite resolution of boundary question, India and China on Friday began another round of high-level negotiations on the vexed issue that has been nagging the relations for decades.
Special representatives of the two countries -- National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo -- held brief discussions in New Delhi on the first day of the 10th round of talks between them.
Detailed talks between them will be held in the holiday resort of Udhagamandalam (Ooty) in Tamil Nadu on Saturday.
Dai also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during which the boundary issue came up. The nine rounds of high-level negotiations that began in 2003 have made progress and the two sides are now discussing issues related to demarcation of the border.
Ahead of the talks, China hoped the parleys would be constructive and some 'positive results' could emerge out of it in view of the joint decision to expedite the negotiation process.
This round of negotiations takes place three months after the last meeting of the special representatives in New Delhi indicating speeding up of efforts to resolve the boundary dispute.
The leadership of both countries are keen on settling the issue as early as possible. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, during their meeting in Philippines in January on the sidelines of India-ASEAN Summit, had said that discussions should take place with 'greater vigour and greater innovativeness.'
Earlier, during the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to India in November last year, the two sides had decided to pursue efforts to resolve the boundary dispute as a 'strategic objective' as it would advance the basic interests of the two countries.
"The special representatives shall complete at an early date the task of finalising an appropriate framework for a final package settlement of the India-China boundary," the joint declaration issued during Hu's visit had said.
During the visit of Wen in April 2005, India and China reached a key agreement on 'political parameters' and 'guiding principles' to resolve the vexed boundary issue.
India says China is illegally occupying 43,180 sq km of Jammu and Kashmir, including 5,180 sq km illegally ceded to Beijing by Islamabad under the Sino-Pakistan boundary agreement in 1963.
On the other hand, China claims India is occupying 90,000 sq km of Chinese territory, mostly in Arunachal Pradesh.