India to hold maritime talks with China, Russia

India will hold a maritime dialogue with China and Russia soon.

The dates for Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe's visit to India are being finalized, according to sources.

The move is a bid to strengthen relationships with the two countries.

The announcement comes a day after a high level Chinese Army delegation reached Sukna, West Bengal on Monday for a close interaction with their Indian counterparts, putting behind the acrimony of Doklam episode.

The Chinese delegation led by Lt Gen Liu Xiaowu, Deputy Commander of Western Theatre Command, comprised of 10 senior military officials.

This visit by the delegation to the military headquarters at Sukna is being seen as a significant step towards increasing interactions at military commander's level and implementation of various agreements to maintain peace and tranquillity at the borders.

The visit is in line with the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese President Xi Jinping who during the informal summit at Wuhan on April 27-28 had reaffirmed the need to strengthen bilateral ties.