Defence Secy on China visit from Wednesday

Aiming at improving coordination along the Line of Actual Control and increasing bilateral military cooperation, Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar will be in China on a two-day visit from Wednesday.

Aiming at improving coordination along the Line of Actual Control and increasing bilateral military cooperation, Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar will be in China on a two-day visit from Wednesday.

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In the first-ever visit by an Indian Defence Secretary to Beijing for the annual defence dialogue between the two countries, senior military officials from the Eastern Command, Air Force and Navy will be accompanying Kumar, Defence Ministry officials said in New Delhi.

During the visit, Kumar will hold several meetings with senior Chinese military leadership, including his Chinese counterpart and is expected to discuss various issues including the long-pending boundary dispute, they added.

Though the two sides have been downplaying the issue of repeated incursions by Chinese military into Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, it is also likely to come up for discussions during the meetings.

The two sides will also discuss about the third round of the 'Hand-in-Hand' series of Army exercises between the two sides, which is expected to be held this year.

The first exercise of the series was held in December 2007 in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency in Kunming in Yunan province while the second took place in Belgaum, Karnataka.