NEW DELHI, Jan 12 — In a firm show of commitment, India and China today expressed their resolve to address unresolved issues, including the long-standing boundary problem with “patience” and agreed to begin the security dialogue “very soon”, possibly next month.

Briefing newspersons about the talks between the Chairman of the National People’s Congress of China,Mr Li Peng, and the Indian leaders, including the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, a senior External Affairs Ministry official said the security dialogue was likely to be initiated “very soon”, possibly next month.

The boundary issue figured during the wide-ranging talks Mr Li had with Mr Naryanan and the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, with both sides stressing the need to take forward the ongoing process of addressing the border issue. New Delhi and Beijing are considering having more meetings of the expert group set up to take up the issue, the official said.

The two countries have already exchanged maps of the middle sector along the Sino-Indian borders in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for expediting the process of delineation of the Line of Control (LAC).

Dumping of Chinese goods and Beijing’s reported assistance to Pakistan’s nuclear programme did not figure in the talks, the official said, adding that India continued to raise the issue of Chinese assistance to Islamabad at the bilateral level.

Asked whether the proposal of a “strategic triangle” between India, China and Russia, mooted originally by Moscow, figured during the talks, the official said this was an old idea tossed around from time to time. He, however added that the three countries were considering a proposal at the track-II level but did not elaborate.

To questions on whether the Karmapa issue or the Tibetan problem figured in the discussions, the official replied in the negative.

Earlier in the day, Mr Jaswant Singh called on the visiting Chinese leader and held discussions covering bilateral, regional and international issues.

The two sides spoke of the “attending concerns we have in regard to our unresolved problems,” the External Affairs Minister told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with the Chinese leader.

“It is a goodwill visit,” Mr Jaswant Singh said when asked about the broad agenda for the talks with Mr Li who is second only to the Chinese President, Mr Jiang Zemin.

The Chinese leader folded his hands saying “namaste” and posed for photographers and the electronic media along with his wife, Mrs Zhu Ling, but left with a smile and a wave of his hand without responding to questions.

Asked specifically whether the border dispute and Pakistan figured during the parleys, he said “we discussed all our concerns.”

India and China also agreed to work together for world peace, security and progress in an emerging “multipolar world”.

In her welcome address at her reception hosted in honour of the Chinese leader, the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Dr Najma Heptullah, at whose joint invitation Mr Li is visiting India, said: "The scourge of religious fundamentalism, terrorism and drug trafficking is threatening to disrupt the stability of our region."