Army chief to visit China, Navy chief headed for Myanmar

Army chief to visit China, Navy chief headed for Myanmar

Close on the heels of his trip to Japan to bolster military ties with that country, Chief of Army Staff General J J Singh will soon leave for China with a similar agenda. Singh, heading a high-profile Indian delegation, will embark on a week long “goodwill” visit to the neighbouring country towards the end of the month.
“The dates have not yet been finalised but an in-principle approval has been given for the visit. A top delegation, consisting of both defence and civil officials, will accompany the Army chief,” a Ministry of Defence official confirmed. The general will be meeting the top military brass and will also hold discussions with the Chinese Defence Minister.
Coming barely a month after his three-day tour of Japan, where cooperation on issues like counter-terrorism operations, personnel training, defence research and disaster management were discussed, the visit symbolises India’s fine balancing act in the region with increasing military-military engagements.
The general’s visit is also expected to clear the air on recent unsubstantiated reports of military intrusion by China along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh. Lok Sabha MP Khiren Rijiju had claimed last week that China has moved its troops 20 km inside Arunachal Pradesh. However, the government stoutly denied the claims and stressed that there was no border violation.
Meanwhile, Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta left on a nine day visit to Myanmar yesterday in continuation with India’s policy of increasing military engagement with the neighbour to counter a growing Chinese influence. Mehta will hold talks with top leaders of the Myanmar government on “bilateral military cooperation”.
Earlier in April, Myanmar Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Soe Thane visited Delhi and Indian naval establishments on a goodwill tour. Thane, who met Defence Minister A K Antony and Mehta, is understood to have presented a case for procuring naval hardware from India.