Chinese Defense Minister Arrives On 5-day Visit To India

New Delhi, Sept 3, IRNA -- The Defence Minister of China, General Liang Guanglie Sunday evening arrived in Mumbai on a five-day visit to India. General Liang will arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday for wide-ranging discussions with Defence Minister A K Antony on issues relating to border and bolstering military cooperation. Both sides are expected to exchange views on putting in place more Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), PTI news agency quoted a senior official of the Defence Ministry as saying in Mumbai. 'We are planning to resume the army-to-army exercise 'Hand-in-Hand' from next year and a final decision in this regard is expected to be taken at the meeting between General Liang and his Indian counterpart,' the official said. Military exercises between the two countries had started in 2007 but were put on hold after a series of hiccups in the defence ties between the two sides. The first exercise was held in Kunming, China in 2007 whereas the second was held in India at Belgaum in 2008. General Liang's visit, the first by a Chinese Defence Minister in eight years, takes place at a time when the two Asian giants are competing vigorously to get a firm grip across the continent for resources. The two sides have a long-pending boundary problem along the over 4,000-kilometer-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Special Representatives of the two countries have held 15 rounds of talks on the issue but not much progress has been made in this regard. General Liang's visit will be the first by a Chinese Defence Minister to India since General Cao Gangchuan's trip here in March, 2004. A Defence Minister-level visit to China from India had last taken place in May, 2006. He will also visit Taj Mahal in Agra and Qutub Minar in Delhi./end