NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2018) Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on Thursday agreed that a hotline between their respective military headquarters should be opened earlier than it was planned before, the Indian Defense Ministry said.
Earlier in the day, Fenghe met with Sitharaman as part of his August 21-24 visit to India.
"[The ministers] discussed issues relating to the border areas. It was agreed to work towards full implementation of ongoing confidence building measures as well as greater interactions at the working level to ensure the maintenance of peace and tranquility including early operationalization of the hotline between the relevant departments of the armed forces," the ministry said in a statement.
The sides also noted that the recent exchanges between their armed forces had strengthened mutual trust and understanding.
"It was decided to expand the engagement between their armed forces relating to training joint exercises and other professional interactions. Both sides also decided to work towards a new BILATERAL MOU signed in 2006," the statement added.
The two ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments "in a free frank and constructive manner."
In May, media reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to set up a military hotline during the latters visit to China.
New Delhi and Beijing regularly hold consultations to maintain peace on their shared border and avoid mutual provocations. The two countries had a number of disputes in the past, including the 2017 disagreement over Beijing's decision to build infrastructure in the border area of Doklam, claimed by Bhutan and China. The dispute resulted in a military standoff between China and India, which stated that it acted on behalf of Bhutan. In late August 2017, the sides agreed to disengage their forces in the area.
