IMPROVEMENT IN MILITARY TIES OF INDIA, CHINA: PLA

BEIJING : The Indian and Chinese militaries should expand engagement between frontline units, including training of border guards at each other’s facilities, and open a defence hotline between adjacent military regions to ensure Doklam-like standoffs don’t recur, the People’s Liberation Army said.

The two countries should also establish a regular border meeting mechanism for generals of their respective theatre commands. Important decisions at the border should be left to frontline forces, the PLA suggested in a rare article on China-India military ties published in the influential PLA Daily this week.

“Border disputes such as ‘tent confrontation’ and ‘Donglang event’ have all plagued the development of bilateral relations. Since this year, the relationship between the two militaries has improved markedly with the rapid recovery of China-India relations,” it said.

It called for the two sides to enhance “cooperation between navies, increase exchanges of young military officers, promote university, academic, and public affairs exchanges, expand new areas of cooperation, and strengthen cooperation in multilateral frameworks such as the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation)”.

Border troops were locked in a standoff for 73 days in the Doklam (Donglang) area, which is under China’s control but claimed by Bhutan. Protracted negotiations between the two sides resolved the problem at the end of August last year. The article had a slew of suggestions to maintain the momentum of peace efforts.