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PM's China visit: Border pact to prevent face-offs likely

Kashmir Times. Dated: 10/16/2013 10:53:23 PM

NEW DELHI, Oct 16 (Agencies): Seeking to prevent face-offs between the two armies along the LAC, India and China are expected to sign Border Defence Cooperation Agreement during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's three-day visit to China starting from October 22.
The Cabinet Committee on Security is expected to discuss the border pact, which proposes to prevent face-offs between the troops of the two countries along the over 4,000 km disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), in its meeting tomorrow, sources said here.
The visit to China by the Prime Minister would be part of his two-nation tour, the first leg of which will take him to Russia from October 20-22. During his stay, he will hold talks with President Vladimir Putin.
In the second leg of the tour, Singh will visit China and meet his counterpart Li Keqiang to hold discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues with a view to strengthening the partnership between the two countries, an MEA release said.
The Prime Minister will also meet President Xi Jinping and National People's Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang, it said.
The BDCA is expected to be signed during the Prime Minister's visit, sources said here.
They said there are still certain differences over the modalities that some of the new CBMs agreed upon between the two sides including a hotline to be established between the two militaries but they are expected to be kept in abeyance for the time being.
The two sides are understood to have agreed upon setting up a hotline between the two militaries but so far, there is no agreement over the officers who would talk to each other from either side.
India had proposed a hotline between the Director Generals of Military Operations but the Chinese side is understood to have conveyed that they do not have any such designation in their Army.
India and China have held several discussions on the BDCA in the past but after incursion by Chinese troops in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir in April, the movement on the proposed pact had gathered steam.
During Defence Minister A K Antony's recent visit to China, the two sides had agreed to conclude negotiations on the pact at an early date.
After Antony's talks with Chinese leaders, the two sides agreed on a slew of confidence building measures, including having greater frequency of meetings along the border and increased exchange of visits of both young and senior armed forces officials.
India and China have also agreed to hold their Army-to- Army exercise next month in China's Chengdu military region.
The two countries have also agreed to further strengthen the existing agreements and protocols and emphasised the importance of enhancing mutual trust and understanding between the two militaries for maintaining peace and tranquility along the border.