Wednesday, March 30 2005 11:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beijing: India and China commenced a crucial round of negotiations in Beijing today (Mar 30, 2005) to find a mutually acceptable solution and formulate the guiding principles to solve the vexed border dispute.

The 15th meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on the India-China Boundary Question, which was meeting after a gap of over two years, is attended by Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei.

The two-day meeting will discuss the formulation of the guiding principles to resolve the vexed territorial dispute that has bedevilled bilateral ties, official sources said.

The meeting is taking place ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's maiden visit to India from April 9-12.

Commenting on the talks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said that the meeting of the 15th round of the JWG was the continuation of dialogue and consultations between the two countries on the boundary question.

"I think that dialogues between the Special Representatives have been quite helpful and conducive to mutual understanding. Their talks have also been helpful in reaching mutual understanding on the guiding principles for the settlement of the boundary issue," Liu said.

"I hope that the talks with go on satisfactorily," he said.

Apart from Saran, the Indian delegation to the JWG also includes Indian Ambassador to China Nalin Surie and other senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs.