China No Threat, Visit Important Milestone: Pranab

New delhi, Jun 13 (UNI) Describing his recent visit to China as an important milestone and a major confidence building measure in the progressive relations between the two countries, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today asserted that he did not see neighbouring China as a threat.

India had engaged in dialogues with China ''in a constructive manner for quite some time,'' stepping up confidence-building measures and expanding economic relations, Minister Mukherjee told mediapersons in a briefing here about his recent visit to China, Japan and Singapore.

The recently concluded Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries to institutionalise training and exercise exchanges between their Armed Forces, defence officials and military experts would act as an instrument for ''a regular and sustained dialogue'' between the two countries on defence issues, the Defence Minister pointed out.

The MoU -- signed during Mr Mukherjee's recent visit to China -- envisages a much larger participation in joint military exercises, more exchange visits by Armed Forces personnel and an expanded mutual training programme than hitherto.

The Defence Minister said both countries ''recognise they are neighbours... and that it is better to live in peace... nobody is thinking in terms of armed conflict... but engaging in dialogue and resolving issues....'' Further asserting that he saw China -- India's onetime foe -- as no threat, Mr Mukherjee observed that China was ''an important military power from the beginning... we are fully aware of it....'' He, however, averred that ''neither are we a threat to them...

nor are they a threat to us....'' Mr Mukherjee observed that it was a case of a country's own perception of its priorities. ''Every country had its own perception of development and relations with other countries depending upon their utility to each other,'' he said.

The Defence Minister Mukherjee visited China from May 28 to June 3 during which he met his Chinese counterpart Cao Gangchuan and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and called on Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

UNI DG MSJ HT1930