In a major step towards resolution of the vexed boundary question, India and China are expected to set out next week political parameters and guiding principles taking into account security interests, welfare of people living around the border region and other key factors.

"We attach great importance to the visit of Premier Wen Jiabao to India," Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told reporters in New Delhi on Friday.

The two leaders are expected to review the current state of bilateral relations and discuss ways and means to further strengthen the constructive and cooperative partnership keeping in view the current international situation and the global and strategic perspective of bilateral relations, the foreign secretary said.

He also noted that Wen visited India in 1994 as a senior member of the Communist Party of China, but "this is, however, his first visit as the prime minister of China, a country with which we enjoy friendly and good neighborly ties."

Over a dozen agreements are likely to be inked during the visit covering cooperation in civil aviation, trade, customs, water resources and culture. The two sides are also expected to firm up a vital protocol on confidence-building measures during Wen's four-day visit to India from Saturday.

Saran will meet with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei here on Saturday ahead of Wen's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday.

Indian National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and senior Chinese Vice Minister Dai Bingguo, both special representatives entrusted with the task of focusing on boundary settlement, will hold talks on Sunday.

So far, four rounds have been held between the special representatives of the two countries.

(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2005)