Beijing: Ahead of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's crucial visit, China on June 17 said that it is willing to step up bilateral relations with India to a new high and expressed the hope that an effective method could be found to resolve the vexed border issue.

"The Chinese side is willing to work with the Indian side to expand cooperation in all fields of bilateral relations to a high level," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters while commenting on Vajpayee's visit from June 22 to 27.

"We believe that so long as the two sides adhere to the five principles of peaceful co-existence, enhance trust, expand consensus, strengthen coordination, Sino-Indian relations can go further," he said.

"Friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries not only conforms with the common interests of the two sides but also to peace and stability in the region and the world at large," he added.

Vajpayee would be the first Indian Premier to visit China in nearly a decade.

Asked whether India and China would settle their boundary issue during Vajpayee's visit to Beijing, Liu noted that with the joint efforts of both sides, the Sino-Indian border is quiet and incident-free in recent times.

"We hope that with the joint efforts of both sides, methods to solve the China-Indian border issue can be found," Liu said.

He said that Vajpayee's upcoming visit will further boost the two nations' ties and that both China and India attach great significance to the visit and are making active preparations to make it a successful one.

The spokesman said Sino-Indian relations have maintained momentum in recent years.

"In recent years, Sino-Indian relations have kept good momentum of steady development with constant high-level exchange of visits and strengthening of cooperation in all fields and rapid development in economics and trade," Liu said.

"The two countries also have close coordination in international affairs," the spokesman said.

During the visit, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will hold talks with Vajpayee, and other Chinese leaders will also meet him.

"I believe the two sides will exchange views on regional and international issues and reiterate their respective stances on safeguarding regional peace, stability and development."

Asked whether the Prime Minister's visit to China would further ease tensions between India and Pakistan, Liu welcomed the recent peace initiatives by both sides and hoped that New Delhi and Islamabad would settle their differences thorough peaceful means.

"We're also glad to see that relations between India and Pakistan have gained momentum. As both countries are our good neighbours, we sincerely hope they will further improve their ties, resolve their problems through peaceful dialogue and work for peace and development in the region," Liu added.

The spokesman also said that apart from Beijing, Vajpayee would also visit Luoyang in Central China's Henan province and Shanghai, the country's largest city and commercial hub in East China.

PTI