Govt downplays suggestion that India should be split

At the same time, India emphasised that "opinions and assessment of the state of India-China relations should be expressed after careful judgment based on long-term interests of building a stable relationship between the two countries."

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said India and China have strategic and cooperative partnership, and the multi-sectoral engagement and the pace of bilateral exchanges have gained momentum in recent years.

"The article in question appears to be an expression of individual opinion and does not accord with the officially stated position of China on bilateral relations conveyed to us on several occasions, including at the highest level, most recently by the State Councillor Dai Bingguo during the visit to India last week," he said, reacting to the analyst's views.

Zhan Lue, China International Institute for Strategic Studies, had in an article suggested that his country should back aspirations of regional communities and split India.

"We continue to maintain that opinion and assessment on the state of India-China relations should be expressed after careful judgement based on long-term interests of building a stable relationship between the two countries," Prakash said.

"The Chinese side has conveyed to us that in approaching India-China relations, China abides by the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. One of these principles stresses respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty," Prakash said.

The spokesman said both India and China have agreed to continue the momentum in their bilateral ties while seeking to resolve outstanding issues, including the boundary question, through peaceful dialogue and consultations, and with mutual sensitivity to each other's concerns.