The Hindu : International / India & World : Extensive consensus on defence cooperation with China

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

International

International - India & World

Extensive consensus on defence cooperation with China

Pallavi Aiyar

Wen calls Pranab's visit a success; progress of border negotiations discussed

BEIJING: A day after signing the first-ever MoU between the Chinese and Indian Defence Ministries, Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister, held talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing. "Your visit is a success and I would like to congratulate you," Mr. Wen told Mr. Mukherjee at the very outset of the meeting. "We have reached an extensive consensus regarding defence cooperation and exchanges," he continued.

According to the Defence Minister the progress of the border negotiations was extensively discussed during his talks with the Premier. Mr. Wen said a broad agreement had already been reached on the political parameters and guiding principles for the talks on the border dispute. Mr. Mukherjee suggested that "strong political will should be applied to the problem with the aim of solving it as soon as possible."

Later in the afternoon, Mr. Mukherjee met Gen. Guo Boxiong, Vice-Chairman of China's Central Military Commission, who gave the Minister an in-depth presentation of China's military modernisation efforts. Earlier in his career Gen. Guo had served as commander of the Lanzhou Military Area Command, an area that Mr. Mukherjee will be visiting on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Lanzhou Military Command controls the largest physical area of China's seven military regions and includes the provinces of Gansu, Shanxi and Xinjiang. The region holding the nuclear research and missile testing facilities in the Chinese West comes under the command of this area.

Nalin Surie, India's ambassador to China, added that bilaterally the Lanzhou region is important since the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of Uttaranchal also come under its command.

Mr. Surie said that inviting Mr. Mukherjee to visit the headquarters of the Lanzhou Military Command is thus a significant step in the process of building bilateral trust and confidence, on the part of China.

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