In a First After Doklam Row: PLA Troops to Visit India as China Emphasises on 'Military-to-Military Relationship'
The decision to hold a high-level 'military-to-military' meeting with India was finalised in April when President Xi Jinping held an informal summit with PM Modi.
New Delhi, June 2: In a first after the 72-day Doklam stand-off last year, a Chinese delegation comprising of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will be visiting India this year, Beijing announced on Friday.
The decision to hold a high-level 'military-to-military' meeting with India was finalised in April when President Xi Jinping held an informal summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chinese side claimed.
Both the heads of states underlined the need to develop cordial military relationship in order to avoid Doklam-like controversies, the Chinese Defence Ministry said.
The PLA troops, along with the Indian Army, would be jointly issued "strategic guidance" on ensuring peace and tranquility at the shared borders, added Defence Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang .
"Both China and India are big countries in Asia and we are also each other’s important neighbours. The Chinese side attaches great importance to the development of the military-to-military relationship with the Indian side," Guoqiang was quoted as saying.
The announcement by the Chinese Defence Ministry comes close on the heels of an informal summit hosted by Jinping for PM Modi on April 28-29 at Wuhan. In the joint statement issued following the meet, the two leaders vowed to 'reset' bilateral ties in the aftermath of Doklam.
The effect of Modi-Xi bonhomie was on display on Friday, when the Indian Prime Minister stressed on enhancing Sino-Indian relationship while addressing the Shangri-LA dialogue in Singapore. "Asia will have a better future when India and China work together with mutual trust and interests," he said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 02, 2018 09:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).