India, China defence officials conclude talks

Indian and Chinese defence officials today wrapped up three-day talks here on a host of issues including identifying additional border points for interaction and CBMs to improve relations between the two forces on the borders, amid reports of fresh face offs at the LAC.
The seventh Annual Defence and Security Dialogue (ADSD) was held in the backdrop of China expressing a wish to link up its Maritime Silk Road (MSR) project with India's 'Mausam' plans and trilateral cooperation between India, China and Sri Lanka to address India's security concerns in the Indian Ocean.
The talks took place ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China next month.

Defence Secretary, R K Mathur who headed the Indian delegation called on Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan and discussed various aspects of military ties between the two countries, an Indian Embassy press release here said.
Mathur extended Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's invitation to Chang to visit India.
Mathur who arrived here on April 8 held both formal and informal talks with Chinese officials in the last three days.

At today's talks co-chaired by Mathur and Deputy Chief of General Staff of PLA, Admiral Sun Jianguo, both sides recalled the substantive outcomes and understandings reached, including in the military sphere during the visit of President Xi Jinping to India last year.

"The two sides noted that the leadership of both countries had recognised the maintenance of peace and tranquillity on the borders as an important guarantor for the development and growth of the bilateral relationship between both countries.
"During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on a number of regional and global security issues of mutual interest including the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region," the press release said.
"They agreed on the need to expand military cooperation and for identifying new avenues of engagement. Indian side welcomed the proposed visit of Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Fan Changlong to India in the second half of 2015," it said.

Both sides took note of the successful conduct of the Joint Army exercise in India in 2014 and agreed to conduct the next exercise in China in 2015.