India's relations with China generally peaceful: NSA

New Delhi, Mar 26 (UNI) India today said its relations with China were generally peaceful and asserted that the security challenge with Beijing lay in the perceptions and not the threat.

Delivering the 25th Air Chief Marshal P C Lal Memorial Lecture here, National Security Advisor (NSA) M K Narayanan said that of late, there had been intense interactions with China with the two countries establishing strategic cooperation.

For the first time, he said the two countries had a set of guiding principles and political parameters to resolve the vexed border issue.

''There has been a considerable progress on settlement of the border issue between the two countries. We have also resolved that peace will prevail on the borders till a settlement is arrived at,'' Mr Narayanan added.

However, he said reports of incursions from the borders with China continued to pour in. ''But that has not affected our ties.

Apart from a very brief period, our relations with China have been generally peaceful.'' The NSA said China and Pakistan posed contrasting security challenges for India. ''With China, the challenge lies in the perceptions and not the threat. It is reverse with Pakistan,'' he added.

Mr Narayanan, as the Indian representative, has held several rounds of talks with his Chinese counterpart Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo to find an amicable solution to the border issue.

The NSA sought a broad national consensus on whether China was a threat or a neighbour.

''We need a consensus on whether we can go along with China, on the possible terms of a border solution and also on Beijing's intentions,'' he added.

UNI AG PK RK2240