India and China will discuss ways to prevent incursions into each other’s territory on the line of Actual Control (lAC) and ensure peace and tranquility along the disputed border during the high-powered Chinese Military Commission group’s three-day visit here that started on Sunday.
Vice-Chairman of Chinese Military Commission General Fan Changlong is heading a 26-member delegation which will discuss issues of bilateral interest with Indian counterparts led by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The visiting Chinese dignitary is also expected to call on the Indian top political leadership, officials said here on Sunday, adding this highest level People’s liberation Army (PlA) delegation to come to India in the last one decade.
The two sides will discuss faster implementation of Border Defence Co-Operation Agreement (BDCA) signed between the two countries in 2013. This pact was inked to avoid face-offs between troops of the two countries on the 4,057 km long lAC besides establishing a hotline between the Director General of Military operations (DGMO)of two Armies.
The proposed hotline is on the lines of such a mechanism between the DGMOs of India and Pakistan. They talk to each other every Tuesday about various issues — including cross-border firing by Pakistan Army along the line of Control (loC). Incidentally, the BDCA was signed with China months after Chinese troops intruded more than 19 km into ladakh and pitched tents leading to a 21-day stand-off with the Indian troops. Situation was defused following intervention at the highest political and diplomatic levels.
The other proposal to hold talks at regular intervals between the Eastern Command chief and his Chinese counterpart in Chengdu will also come up for discussion, officials said. A similar move to have regular meetings between the Northern Command chief and his Chinese counterpart will be on the table during the delegation level talks. Other officials of the visiting delegation included Admiral Sun Jianguo and lt General Zhu Fuxi, the political commissar of the Chengdu Military Region.
Interestingly, the visit comes a month after India and China held the fifth ‘Hand in Hand’ exercise there to hone counter-terrorism skills. This exercise is part of confidence building measures to enhance military ties between the two nations who share the disputed border. The lAC is largely peaceful for the last 45 years after the two countries fought a war in 1962. Moreover, the National Security Advisors of the two nations have held 15 rounds of discussions in the last ten year or so to find a solution to the dispute.