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Military ties improving with India due to efforts of Modi, Xi: China army

WION Web Team
BeijingUpdated: Dec 27, 2019, 07:17 AM IST
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File photo. Photograph:(PTI)

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The defence spokesman said that the Chinese army was willing to work together with India to protect regional stability and fight terrorism. 

China's People's Liberation Army(PLA) has said that its ties with the Indian military is "improving" and thanked the efforts of Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping for the improvement.

China's defence spokesperson colonel Wu Qian said: "Thanks to the efforts of the two heads of the state, the military relationship is improving and two countries maintain strategic dialogues and conduct practical cooperation, and also strengthen their exchanges along their borders".

The statement comes days after the two militaries concluded the eight round of their 'Hand-in-Hand-2019’ joint exercise in Shillong on December 21. The exercise was aimed at building and promoting positive relations between both the armies.

The defence spokesman said that the PLA was willing to work together with India to protect regional stability and fight terrorism. 

China's latest statement comes after both militaries were recently were engaged in a 73-day standoff at Dokhlam in 2017. The two countries have since hit the reset button to some extent. In 1962, the two nations had fought a bitter war leading to tensions on the border for decades.

However, in the past two years, there have been moves towards finding common ground between the two countries. President Xi had hosted Prime Minister Modi for an informal summit in Wuhan in April 2018 which was followed by the informal talks between the two leaders in Mamallapuram this year.

The recent military exercise between the two countries was meant to enhance relationship between the two armies and to focus on counter-terrorist handling and firing with each others’ weapons, battle obstacles course, special heliborne operations and case studies of various operations carried out in the counter-terrorist environment.

Next year marks the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and India.