China’s PLA delegation in state on a 2-day visit

Kolkata: Burying acrimony with India, a high-level Chinese military delegation arrived in North Bengal on Tuesday evening on a two-day visit to a key strategic Indian military establishment facing the neighbouring country.

The delegation will hold talks with the senior officials of the Indian Army on Wednesday before visiting Fort William, the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army, in Kolkata, where they will meet Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sunil Srivastava on July 5.

Their visit will conclude on July 6. The high-level People’s Liberation Army (PLA) delegation’s visit is in consonance with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the recent Wuhan summit, where both leaders reaffirmed the need to strengthen bilateral ties, according to defence ministry sources.

Led by Lt. Gen. Liu Xiaowu, deputy commander of Western Theatre Command, the PLA delegation reached Sukna-headquarted Trishakti Corps near Siliguri under the Eastern Command. The delegation, comprising 10 senior military officials from China, will interact with their military counterparts at Headquarters 33 Corps, said chief public relations officer (Eastern Command) Wing Commander S.S. Birdi.

“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 tranquillity on the borders,” he added.

The Indian Army delegation will be led by Lt. Gen. Pradeep M. Bali, General Officer Commanding of the Trishakti Corps. Wing Commander Birdi informed that the talks would be followed by a cultural programme showcasing Indian traditional dances and a banquet in the honour of visiting delegation.

Before reaching Sukna, the Chinese delegation visited Delhi and Agra also.