China, India pledge to step up military exchanges

India and China have agreed to step up more military exchanges and interactions at defence talks held here.

At the 9th India-China Annual Defence and Security Dialogue on Wednesday, both sides agreed to enhance exchanges and interactions through reciprocal high-level visits between the two ministries of Defence as well as between military commands.

"Joint training exercises, mutual visits by defence personnel including mid-level and cadet officers were also agreed upon," the Indian Embassy said.

Both sides reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas, implementing the consensus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping and specific additional confidence building measures at the operational level.

The two sides also had an exchange of views on regional and global issues.

The dialogue was attended by India's Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and Lt. General Shao Yuanming, Deputy Chief of Joint Staff Department of Central Military Commission of China.

India and China have a vexed 3,448 km long boundary dispute over which they went to war in 1962.

The two countries nearly came to blows last year in Doklam, a contested territory between China and Bhutan close to India's arterial road in the northeast where Chinese were building a road.

Beijing and New Delhi underlined the importance of this dialogue as an important mechanism between the two countries for consultations on defence and security matters.

They emphasised the need to further strengthen military-to-military ties in order to strengthen political and strategic mutual trust between the two countries.

--IANS

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