PEKING, April 3, Reuter - China said today the Soviet Union, after years of refusal, had agreed to discuss new issues in talks on normalising relations, in what was seen by analysts as a major Soviet concession.

Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Qian Qichen said Moscow had agreed to discuss the so-called "three obstacles" to better relations.

China has long said there are three obstacles to better Sino-Soviet ties -- Soviet troops in Afghanistan, Soviet support for Vietnamese troops in Kampuchea and Soviet military concentrations along the Chinese border.

"For a long time, the Soviet Union refused to discuss the question of removal of obstacles," Qian told a news conference. "Recently the Soviet Union expressed agreement to discuss this question."

"I hope this is a good omen," he added.

The Sino-Soviet normalisation talks will resume in Moscow on April 11 with Qian once again leading the Chinese delegation.

Qian, often tipped as China's next foreign minister, said China welcomed statements by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that he wanted to improve relations with Peking.

But he added: "Although much progress has been made in the economic relations, trade and personnel contacts between the two countries, there are still difficulties in improving their political relations."

The Soviet Union announced last year that it would withdraw a substantial number of its troops stationed in Mongolia starting this month, a move widely interpreted as a conciliatory gesture towards China.

But the Chinese vice-minister dismissed this move as irrelevant to the question of Sino-Soviet relations.

"I have heard nothing about the withdrawal of Soviet troops from along the Chinese border," he said.

"I think the number of troops they plan to withdraw from Mongolia is only one division and some other small units, and this division and the other units are all deployed in the northern part of Mongolia, not along the Sino-Mongolian border."

Qian confirmed that Vice-Premier Li Peng would visit Moscow next month as head of the Chinese delegation to the annual Sino-Soviet trade talks but he declined to comment on reports that Li would meet Gorbachev.

"The exact program for the visit has not yet been worked out," he said.

A resumption of visits by the foreign ministers of the two countries has been the subject of speculation for more than two years but Qian said there were no plans for a visit to Moscow by Chinese Foreign Minister Wu Xueqian this year.