India and China affirmed on Wednesday their readiness to take their strategic and cooperative partnership to a "new level" and see a "fair, reasonable and mutually" acceptable solution to the boundary question.

During a 30-minute meeting marked by "cordiality and friendship" on the margins of the East Asia Summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao that India attaches "great importance" to its partnership with China.

Singh said India is resolved to ensuring the comprehensive development of bilateral relations for mutual benefit and on the basis of "mutual sensitivity" to each other's concerns.

This is Singh's second meeting with the Chinese premier this year. They had earlier met at the second East Asia Summit in Cebu in January this year.

Warmly reciprocating the prime minister's sentiments, Wen said "friendship with India is the strategic and long term objective of China".

"The two prime ministers reiterated their readiness to take the India-China Strategic and Cooperative Partnership to a new level," External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Navtej Sarna said.

"They iterated their readiness to see a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question and expressed satisfaction at the progress that is being made by the Special Representatives in this regard," he said.

The two leaders also discussed opportunities that exist for furthering cooperation in regional and multilateral forums on global issues such as climate change and energy security.

The Chinese premier was "forthcoming and supportive" of international civil nuclear energy cooperation with India, he said. Beijing has been non-committal on supporting India's case in the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers' Group in the context of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

Wen said the Chinese government and people were eagerly awaiting Singh's visit to China early next year. The Prime Minister said he is looking forward to his visit. Singh expressed confidence that his visit would further strengthen the friendly relations between the peoples of the two countries. (PTI)

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (right) speaks to Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before a gala dinner during the 13th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Singapore on November 20.

Photograph: Vivek Prakash/AFP/Getty Images