The Chinese Defence Minister, General Liang Guanglie, will visit India from September 1 to September 4. Accompanying him will be a 23-member delegation comprising high-ranking members of the Chinese military.
During his four-day visit, General Guanglie and his Indian counterpart, A. K. Antony, will hold discussions on strengthening defence ties between the two nations. The ministers will also discuss border issues, and prime defence and security concerns. Discussions on maintenance of peace along the border between the neighbours, and confidence-building measures are also expected.
This is the first visit of a Chinese Defence Minister to India in eight years. The last visit took place in 2004, when the then Defence Minister of China, General Cao Gangchuan, met his Indian counterpart, George Fernandes, in New Delhi.
The Indo-China bilateral relation is characterised by border disputes, and the two nations have had three major military confrontations in the past six decades.