Sino-Indian views closer to convergence, says Defense Ministry report

New Delhi, March 29 (ANI): India on Monday said a regular mechanism for exchanges in the military sphere has been established with China through the ongoing confidence building measures between the Armed Forces of both countries and other military interactions.

Stating that the relations with China have generally progressed well in the last year based on their strategic and cooperative partnership, the Government in its annual report of the Ministry of Defence of 2009 - 10, released here on Monday, said: "There has been a convergence of views and actions on various issues of international fora. A regular mechanism for exchanges in the military sphere has been established through the ongoing confidence building measures between the Armed Forces of both countries and other military interactions".

However, at the same time, the report adds: "India also remains conscious and alert about the implications of China's military modernisation...".

Rapid infrastructure development in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Xinjiang province has considerably upgraded China's military Force projection capability and strategic operational flexibility. "Necessary steps have been initiated for the upgradation of our infrastructure and force structuring ...along the northern borders."

Focussing on the situation in Afghanistan, the report observes that "the security and stability of Afghanistan is critical to India's own security concerns. The report takes note of the deployment of additional 30,000 US troops in the AfPak region by May this year and President Barack Obama's July 2011 timeframe for troop's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

On Iran's controversial Nuclear Programme, the annual report says that "India continued to support a peaceful resolution of the issue which would be in the interest of peace and stability in West Asia. The report also takes note of the worldwide economic slowdown, saying that the challenges confronting the global financial system created strains in the global security environment. (ANI)