China is willing to make joint efforts with India to expand and deepen cooperation in various fields, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Tuesday.

During a meeting with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the 10th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Wen said current Sino-Indian relations are in the best period of time in history.

China and India, as the two most populous developing counties in the world, should strengthen cooperation, he noted.

The principle of peaceful coexistence conforms to the interests of the two countries and peoples, and their development will never pose any threat to each other, Wen said.

"We are happy about the rapid growth of India's economy and its continuously enhanced influence in the world," the premier said.

He added that China hopes to handle ties with India "from a strategic and overall point of view."

Noting the boundary issue a major aspect in Sino-Indian relations, Wen said the talks between special representatives from China and India on this issue have yielded positive results. "We believe that if abiding by the principle of equal consultation, mutual understanding and mutual accommodation, the two sides can find solutions to this issue through sincere negotiations."

Singh, for his part, said the Indian government has attached great importance to the development of bilateral relations with China.

It is of great significance for India to enhance cooperation with the neighbor, and friendly bilateral relations are beneficial to peace and prosperity of the two countries, Asia and the world as a whole, the prime minister said.

He expressed his satisfaction with the development of trade and economic ties between the two sides, saying that India is willing to further strengthen and expand relations with China.

India wants to work hard with China to exploit potentials in cooperation and to seek new ways and fields for mutually-beneficial cooperation, Singh noted.

The Indian government has a strong desire to solve the boundary issue, and hopes that the two countries can reach a consensus on the problem as soon as possible, he said.