India, China not to push pace of boundary talks: Khurshid

India and China have decided "not to push the pace" of their boundary negotiations and resolve the issue "step-by-step", External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said.

Khurshid, during an interview to a delegation of Chinese journalists, said, "There is our common endeavour and effort to move step-by-step toward resolving our boundary issue. I think we can say with satisfaction the Special Representatives and other mechanisms in place are moving steadily."

"We have decided not to push the pace so that it gives way rather than continuing to make progress," he said, ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's planned visit to Beijing next month.

India asserts the boundary dispute covered about 4000 kilometres, while China claims it is confined to about 2000 kilometres to the area of Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers as Southern Tibet.

Special Representatives of India and China have held 16 rounds of boundary talks to resolve the contentious issue.

Khurshid, in the interview published in the state-run Global Times today, also talked about the importance of Singh's visit to Beijing next month.

"We are very honoured and pleased that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's first stop outside the country as prime minister was in India" this year, he said.

"That is an important and significant indication of our relationship coming from your side...Our prime minister has made a personal investment in improving the relationship between the two leaderships. We would like to see even more visits from China," Khurshid said.