China, India discuss border in Beijing
By Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-09-27 06:08

Liu said the talks are making substantial progress as both sides have shown more urgency to settle the issue.

"There is no easy solution to the complex boundary dispute that has lasted for decades," he said. "A mutually acceptable settlement is in the best interests of both countries."

The border dispute has long been a sticking point in the countries' relations, analysts say. After a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier this month, President Hu Jintao said the negotiations have made headway.

China has signed border treaties or agreements with 12 neighbouring countries, covering 90 per cent its land boundaries.

Liu Zhenming, director of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Treaty and Law, said the border between China and India was never officially demarcated in the past, with the disputed areas stretching to as large as 125,000 square kilometres. The countries share a 2,000-kilometre border. Liu said China and India began to discuss border issues in the 1980s and signed two related agreements in 1993 and 1996.

(China Daily 09/27/2005 page2)