Indo-Sino talks to focus on border management, CBMs

NEW DELHI: Strengthening of border management mechanisms and confidence-building measures (CBMs) are expected to be high on agenda during the Defence Secretary-level talks between India and China here tomorrow.

A senior People's Liberation Army officer-in-charge of foreign cooperation and intelligence is leading the Chinese delegation for the talks.

Chinese Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Qi Jianguo will hold talks with Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma in which they are expected to discuss CBMs to maintain peace and tranquillity at the Line of Actual Control, ministry officials said here.

During the meeting, the two sides are also expected to discuss formalisation of a border management pact under which their troops will not fire at each other, they said.

This would be the second meeting between Qi and Sharma in the last three months after they met at the Annual Defence Dialogue in January.

Beijing also wants to formalise a mechanism under which there will be no night patrolling by the troops from both sides and if they cross each others' path, they will not follow each other.

The two countries are also expected to discuss and finalise the venue and dates for their joint military drill 'Hand-in-Hand', which was held last in 2008 in Belgaum in Karnataka.

Defence Minister A K Antony is also planning to visit China by middle of the year after which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also expected to visit Beijing.