China says military talks with India successful

Both sides say they are willing to work hard together to ensure peace and tranquility on the border.

BEIJING: China's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that a recent visit by an Indian military delegation had been successful and would benefit relations after a freeze in ties last year over a visa row.

"Last year, Sino-Indian military exchanges experienced some
difficulties, but both sides worked hard to find a good way
of resolving this," ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a news
conference, according to a transcript posted on the ministry's
website.

"Both sides said that they were willing to work hard
together to ensure peace and tranquility on the border and
further promote exchanges between their militaries," Yang said.

India and China, emerging rivals for resources and global
influence, fought a border in the 1960s and have been wary
neighbours ever since. China also occupies a part of the
Himalayan region of Kashmir which India claims as its own.
Yang said he believed the visit had been conducive towards
promoting trust and the development of military relations.

"China hopes that China and India can further promote
the development of military ties," Yang said, without giving any
other details.

China last August denied a visa to an Indian general in
charge of operations in the disputed Kashmir region, which lead
to a suspension of military contacts between the two growing
powers.

India protested in 2009 against a Chinese embassy policy of
issuing different visas to residents of Indian Kashmir. New
Delhi bristles at any hint that Kashmir, where a separatist
insurgency has raged for two decades, is not part of India.
India's old rival Pakistan also claims Kashmir.