<p>A hospital ship of the Chinese navy, Peace Ark, will visit India for the first time in August. It signals the initiation of what could be an increased level of interaction between the Indian and Chinese navies in the wake of Defence Minister A K Antony’s maiden visit to China.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“Peace Ark” will come to Mumbai in August as part of its overseas deployment.<br /><br />The last time a operational People Liberation Army (PLA) warship came to India was in 2010. The ship made a port call at Kochi on its return from anti-patrolling duties in the Gulf of Aden. A Chinese sail ship on an adventure sport trip, too, came recently. <br /><br />A joint statement issued at the end of Antony’s visit says the navies will increase ship visits, consider conducting joint maritime search and rescue exercises and cooperate in counter-piracy operations. <br /><br />China, India and Japan are already cooperating on a regional framework for safe passage of merchant ships in piracy-affected Gulf of Aden.<br /><br />India and China held the first interaction between the navies in November 2003 off Shanghai.<br /><br /> Two Indian Navy ships made port calls at Qingdao and participated in a joint exercise with the PLA Navy in 2007.<br /><br />Four ships from the Eastern Command, INS Rana, Shivalik, Karmukh and Shakti entered Shanghai on a four day port visit in 2012 after a gap of five years, though there were moments of tension between the two navies particularly in relation to navigation in the South China Sea.<br /><br />India and China have also decided to increase the number of border personnel meetings (BPM) between the two armies. Though it is largely ceremonial in nature, the BPMs were considered an essential confidence building measure.<br /><br />At the moment there are three well-established BPM points at Chusul (Jammu and Kashmir), Nathu La (Sikkim) and Bum La (Arunachal Pradesh), where these meetings are held in pre-scheduled dates in May as well as in September and October. <br /><br />“BPMs will take place with greater frequency and additional locations will be finalised after discussions,” the statement said. Visits of border troop delegations would be enhanced to promote dialogue and strengthen trust and cooperation.<br /><br />The two air forces will carry out high level visits and expand their functional exchanges. <br /><br />They would focus on topics of mutual interest including flight safety, aviation medicine and training. Military training institutions, too, will strengthen their exchanges.<br /><br />Appreciating that border defence cooperation would make a significant contribution in this regard, the two countries agreed on an early conclusion of negotiations for the Border Defence Cooperation agreement.</p>
<p>A hospital ship of the Chinese navy, Peace Ark, will visit India for the first time in August. It signals the initiation of what could be an increased level of interaction between the Indian and Chinese navies in the wake of Defence Minister A K Antony’s maiden visit to China.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“Peace Ark” will come to Mumbai in August as part of its overseas deployment.<br /><br />The last time a operational People Liberation Army (PLA) warship came to India was in 2010. The ship made a port call at Kochi on its return from anti-patrolling duties in the Gulf of Aden. A Chinese sail ship on an adventure sport trip, too, came recently. <br /><br />A joint statement issued at the end of Antony’s visit says the navies will increase ship visits, consider conducting joint maritime search and rescue exercises and cooperate in counter-piracy operations. <br /><br />China, India and Japan are already cooperating on a regional framework for safe passage of merchant ships in piracy-affected Gulf of Aden.<br /><br />India and China held the first interaction between the navies in November 2003 off Shanghai.<br /><br /> Two Indian Navy ships made port calls at Qingdao and participated in a joint exercise with the PLA Navy in 2007.<br /><br />Four ships from the Eastern Command, INS Rana, Shivalik, Karmukh and Shakti entered Shanghai on a four day port visit in 2012 after a gap of five years, though there were moments of tension between the two navies particularly in relation to navigation in the South China Sea.<br /><br />India and China have also decided to increase the number of border personnel meetings (BPM) between the two armies. Though it is largely ceremonial in nature, the BPMs were considered an essential confidence building measure.<br /><br />At the moment there are three well-established BPM points at Chusul (Jammu and Kashmir), Nathu La (Sikkim) and Bum La (Arunachal Pradesh), where these meetings are held in pre-scheduled dates in May as well as in September and October. <br /><br />“BPMs will take place with greater frequency and additional locations will be finalised after discussions,” the statement said. Visits of border troop delegations would be enhanced to promote dialogue and strengthen trust and cooperation.<br /><br />The two air forces will carry out high level visits and expand their functional exchanges. <br /><br />They would focus on topics of mutual interest including flight safety, aviation medicine and training. Military training institutions, too, will strengthen their exchanges.<br /><br />Appreciating that border defence cooperation would make a significant contribution in this regard, the two countries agreed on an early conclusion of negotiations for the Border Defence Cooperation agreement.</p>
