Beijing, Sept 8 (ZEENEWS.COM) India and China today agreed to work towards forming a four-pillar strategic partnership in the sphere of science and technology by November this year with the two sides proposing a "marriage" of Indian expertise in software and Chinese know-how in hardware.

Visiting Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal said he had proposed to his Chinese counterpart Xu Guanhua that India and China could evolve a strategic relationship based on the foundation of four pillars.

Two of the pillars should be cooperation in the field of hi-technology, two of the pillars in the area of public good and the foundation based on the synergies of hardware from China and software from India, Sibal said.

"The foundation of this four-pillar relationship should be the marriage between hardware and software. The expertise that exist in China for hardware and the high-quality human resources that we have in India," the minister said.

Earlier, Sibal and Xu inked a MoU to set up a steering committee in S&T cooperation.

Describing his talks with Xu as "frank and open," Sibal said the visit and talks, taking place amid the 'India-China Friendship Year 2006' have been "exceptionally successful."

"We have set up a steering committee consisting of three people from India and three from China. They will prepare a roadmap for us before November 2006 so that when the Chinese President Hu Jintao visits India, we are able to put this strategic cooperation in the area of S&T arena on opera for the purposes of a declaration," Sibal said.