The Deputy Chief of General Staff (Dy CGS) of the Chinese PLA Lt. Gen.Qi Jianguo met Defence Secretary Shri Shashi Kant Sharma and called on the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony here today. The Dy CGS was accompanied by an eight member delegation.
The two day visit of Lt Gen Qi to India is a follow-up to the meeting between Defence Secretary and Gen Qi in Beijing in January 2013 during the Annual Defence Dialogue of which both are co-chairs.
During the meeting both sides agreed to finalise the plan of bilateral exchanges between the Armed Forces of India and China. It has been decided that exchanges will be conducted between the Armies, Navies and Air Forces on both sides. Both sides also discussed preparations for the 3rd Joint Army exercise, which is scheduled to be conducted in China this year .It was agreed that the strengthening of exchanges between the Armed Forces should be carried out as a way of building mutual trust and confidence and consistent with the overall bilateral relationship between both countries.
The implementation of measures to ensure continued peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was also discussed. Shri Sharma and Lt Gen Qi also discussed issues relating to the regional security situation.
During the call on Shri Antony, Lt Gen Qi conveyed that the new leadership in China attaches high priority to consolidate cooperative relations with India in all spheres.