KOLKATA/Darjeeling: A ten member Chinese delegation visited Headquarter Eastern Command, Kolkata, on Thursday. The delegation was led by Lt Gen Liu Xiaowu, Deputy Commander of Western Theatre Command of PLA. Before arriving at Kolkata, the team has visited New Delhi, Agra and Sukna.
The visit is a positive step towards enhancing the bilateral defence cooperation mechanism between the two countries, which would help in maintaining peace and stability along the LAC.
The delegation visited Headquarters, Eastern Command (HQ EC) at Fort William, where they interacted with Lt Gen Sunil Srivastava, Chief of Staff, EC and other officers. The delegation was conducted around in Fort William and later taken on a visit to Victoria Memorial, prior to their departure from Kolkata.
The PLA delegation had departed for Kolkata from Sukna earlier on Thursday.
They had arrived at Sukna on July 3. On arrival at the headquarters of the 33 Corps, Lt Gen Xiaowu had a meeting with Lt Gen. Pradeep M Bali, GOC, 33 Corps. This was followed by a delegation level meeting on Wednesday.
The meetings had ended on a positive note and both the Chinese and the Indian sides had expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the interactions. "The interactions will contribute towards maintaining peace and tranquility on the borders" stated a release. A cultural show and a banquet had been held in Sukna in honour of the visiting Chinese delegation. The visit of the PLA delegation is being seen as of great importance to the armies of the two nations, with the objective of enhancing bilateral defence cooperation, increasing interactions at military commander's level and implementation of various agreements to maintain peace and tranquility at the borders.
Incidentally, the Sukna meet is being seen as the result of meetings between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Wuhan and Qingdao in the recent past. In both the meetings, the two heads had resolved to strengthen bilateral ties between the nations.
The last delegation level meeting had taken place at the Headquarters of the Eastern Command at Kolkata in February 2017.
Defence Observers opine that the meetings between the two armies are of immense importance, especially after the Doklam standoff.