BEIJING – India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday visited headquarters of China’s People’s Liberation Army as China and India commenced their ‘high-profile’ defence dialogue, with each side announcing that it accorded top priority to military ties, the Indian media reported.
The Indian delegation hopes that the talks would cover China’s Maritime Silk Road and details about establishing a hotline between the two military headquarters. In his opening remarks, the Indian minister said that his country attaches ‘highest priority’ to its relations with China. “We are committed to further developing friendly and cooperative relations with China,” he said.
China’s Defence Minister Chang Wanquan said that China attaches utmost importance to the visit of the Indian minister. “We tried our best to meet your requirements,” the Indian media quoted him as saying. The bilateral talks are taking place in the larger context of the shifting balance of power in the Asia-Pacific.
Quoting unidentified sources, The Hindu newspaper reported that China was waiting to be briefed by the Indian defence delegation on the logistics support agreement between India and the US. The Indian side was interested in a first-hand account of China’s interests in the Indian Ocean under the framework of Maritime Silk Road initiative, the paper reported.
In the Indian Ocean, China is developing the port of Kyaukphyu in Myanmar, Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Gwadar in Pakistan, along with a military logistics base in Djibouti, apparently to service its warships engaged in counter-piracy operations near the Gulf of Aden.
Split into two rounds, the talks on Monday were also focusing on additional Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), including talks on an additional meeting point for local border commanders in the central sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The talks were highlighting improved border management to ensure that incidents on the frontiers were avoided or quickly contained through an established set of protocols.
The Indian minister along with his delegation will visit the Chengdu-based western theater command, covering the Line of Actual Control, where the guests will interact with troops from the Military Brigade’s special operations.