Army Commander, Chinese general discuss defence ties
Beijing, January 10
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh today concluded his four-day visit to China, including a rare trip to the volatile Xinjiang province bordering PoK, during which he discussed a host of issues including border area management, bilateral military ties and defence cooperation.
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Lt Gen Singh, whose area of operations covered Jammu and Kashmir region including Ladakh and Aksai Chin over which China has claims, concluded his visit with a meeting at Xinjiang’s provincial capital Urumqi with Lt Gen Liu Wanlong, Commander of China’s Xinjiang Military Command which oversees China’s borders along PoK.
The Indian Embassy said in a statement that both sides agreed to carry forward the directions of the leaders and maintain peace and tranquillity at the border areas.
He also visited China’s 9th Engineer Regiment of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) based there on Thursday. Lt Gen Singh, who arrived in China on January 7, met top Chinese military officials specially that of PLA’s Western Command which oversees the 3488-km long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China also claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet.
On January 7, Gen Singh met the Commander of PLA Gen Han Weigao in Beijing. He was given a ceremonial welcome when he arrived at the PLA’s Western Command headquarters in Chengdu on January 8, where he held talks with Gen Zhao Zongqi, the Commander of Western Theatre Command.
Lt Gen Singh and his delegation also visited a Special Operations Brigade at Chengdu where they witnessed a counter-terrorism drill, according to the statement. It stated that it was a part of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The visit of the delegation is the first high-level military to military engagement in 2020 between India and China. It was rare for an Indian Army officer to visit the region. Xinjiang is the starting point for the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). — PTI
