China not to take part in global fleet review

BEIJING, DEC. 24. China will not take part in the upcoming international fleet review (IFR) in India but the Chinese warships will make a port call next year to enhance mutual understanding between the armed forces of the two countries, official sources said.

``The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships will not attend the IFR to be held next year in India because of scheduling problems,'' a Chinese Ministry of Defence spokesman said here. ``But the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will make all efforts to enhance friendly relations with the Indian Army and its ships will visit India at an appropriate time,'' he said without giving a definite time-frame for the visit. Sources indicated that it could take place within the first half of 2001. The IFR is being organised by the Indian Navy off the coast of Mumbai in the Arabian Sea from February 15 to 20. The PLAN ship visit will reciprocate the goodwill port call made by two Indian Navy in ships to the east China port of Shanghai in September this year, sources said.

``China's decision not to take part in the IFR should not be construed as a snub to India, especially when bilateral relations between the countries, including military-to-military ties have shown signs of progress,'' they said. ``The sheer logistics involved seems to have forced the PLAN to opt for the port call rather than the IFR. The huge cost involved in sending warships to distant foreign ports could be another factor which the Chinese Central Military Commission must have considered while taking the decision,'' a source commented.

Chinese Foreign Ministry sources are pleased by the steady ``improvement and development'' of Sino-Indian relations in the recent past despite frequent reports of alleged Chinese incursions into Indian territory. ``The allegation of frequent encroachment of Chinese armed forces on Indian territories is totally groundless,'' one official said.

Pointing to a recent article in a British journal, Intelligence Digest that alleged the situation in the Sino-Indian border areas had become `tense', he said some vested interests were trying to harm the bilateral relations from progressing. ``The allegation of encroachment by the Chinese armed forces on Indian territories is totally groundless,'' he said, adding that the fallacy of possible deterioration of Sino-Indian relations arising from conflicts of Sino-Indian security interests and border disputes was baseless.

- PTI

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Protest against shifting of Indian Embassy
Next     : India may miss Clinton sensitivity