The fifth India -China Annual Defence Dialogue (ADD) will take place in Beijing from January 14-15. The Indian tri-service delegation led by Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma will meet their Chinese counterparts, to deliberate on ways to develop the current the Indo-China joint military exercises.
Furthermore, the Defence Secretary is also expected to review a proposal for search and rescue operations between the navies, along with strengthening collaboration in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
Touted as the precursor for Indian Defence Minister A. K. Antony’s visit to Beijing later this year, this meeting comes at a time when joint military exercises between India and China are expected to resume. These exercises, initiated in 2007, were suspended in 2008 following a series of diplomatic spats over visa issues.
With China apprehensive of the U.S.-pivot to Asia, it views India as a key player in the region. It has therefore been proactive in strengthening bilateral and defence ties with India. This is evident from the robust number of high level exchanges in 2012, which included the Chinese Defence Minister General Liang Guanglie’s visit to India in September.