India, China start new round of talks on border dispute

India's National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra arrived Sunday for the two days of dialogue and was meeting Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo.

"He is in town and having discussions with his counterpart," said P.K. Rawat, a spokesman at the Indian embassy.

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Mishra, who is the representative of Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the border issue, is also expected to call on some senior Chinese leaders and exchange views on bilateral ties as well as other issues of common concern.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said last week Beijing hoped progress would result from Mishra's visit.

"We hope that against the backdrop of the continuous development of Sino-Indian relations, the two sides' representatives will ... actively inquire into and solve the border issues between the two countries," spokesman Kong Quan said at a regular briefing.

The talks follow a round of dialogue in October in New Delhi. Moves to resolve the border dispute gained momentum after Vajpayee visited Beijing in June.

India accuses China of occupying 38,000 square kilometres (14,670 square miles) of territory in Kashmir while Beijing lays claim to 90,000 square kilometres (34,750 square miles) -- all of Arunachal Pradesh state, the scene of the war between the two. During Vajpayee's talks in Beijing, the two sides agreed to reopen the Nathu La Pass between Chinese-ruled Tibet and Sikkim, a former protectorate which New Delhi annexed in 1975.