India, China hold first dialogue on disarmament, arms control

BEIJING: India and China today held their first consultations on disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control, adding a new element in their bilateral dialogue mechanism ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here next month.

The Indian delegation headed by Amandeep Singh Gill, Joint Secretary Disarmament and International Affairs of the External Affairs Ministry held talks with Wang Qun, Director General of the Arms Control Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Discussions were cordial and substantive and covered all current items on the international disarmament and non- proliferation agenda, including export controls," the Indian Embassy said in a press release.

The two sides agreed that this mechanism is an important new element in the bilateral dialogue architecture and decided to continue their fruitful discussions at the next round of consultations, it said.

Gill also had an interaction with scholars at the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, a prominent think tank.

Indian Defence Secretary R K Mathur was here earlier this month to participate in the seventh Annual Defence and Security Dialogue (ADSD) to enhance relations between the armies of two countries on regional and global strategic issues.