Chinese military delegation in North Bengal on 2-day visit

Kolkata: A high-level Chinese military delegation arrived in north Bengal on Tuesday on a two-day visit to interact with their counterparts at the 33 Corps headquarters of the Indian Army at Sukna, a defence spokesperson said.

The visit by the Chinese military delegation is in consonance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping's reaffirmation of the need to strengthen bilateral ties during the Wuhan summit in May, defence spokesman Wing Commander

S S Birdi said. The visit assumes significance as the 33 Corps mans the Doklam area at the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction, where the two countries were involved in a 73-day military standoff last year. The standoff had started after the Indian side had stopped Chinese troops from constructing a road in the disputed tri-junction. The face-off ended on August 28. The Chinese delegation, comprising 10 senior military officials, is led by Lt Gen Liu Xiaowu, deputy commander of Western Theatre Command, he said. The Indian Army delegation will be led by Lt Gen Pradeep M Bali, G-O-C Trishakti Corps. "This visit by the military delegation to the military headquarters at Sukna is a significant step forward towards increasing interactions at military commander's level and implementation of various agreements to maintain peace and tranquility on the borders," Birdi said. Sukna is near Siliguri and is a part of the chicken's neck area, which connects the Northeast to the eastern states. The newly-formed Western Theatre Command of the PLA guards the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control with India. The PLA delegation will arrive in Kolkata on July 5 for their visit to Fort William.