New Delhi, Aug 11 - Reminding China of the principle of mutual respect for territorial integrity, India Tuesday expressed its unhappiness with an article of a Chinese analyst that spoke about breaking India into 20-30 states. Such views run contrary to the official views of Beijing on deepening ties with New Delhi, it said.

'The article in question appears to be an expression of individual opinion and does not accord with the officially stated position of China on India-China relations,' external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash told reporters in response to a question on the article by a Chinese strategist.

The spokesperson stressed that China has conveyed to India on several occasions, including at the highest level - most recently by the State Councillor Dai Bingguo during his visit to India last week - its desire to deepen relations with New Delhi.

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

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

Alluding to strategic and cooperative partnership between India and China, the spokesperson stressed that 'the pace of exchanges has gained momentum in recent years'.

'Both sides have agreed to continue this momentum, while seeking to resolve outstanding issues, including the boundary question through peaceful dialogue and consultations, and with mutual sensitivity to each other's concerns,' he said.