Article Posted on : - May 22, 2011

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the Chinese President Hu Jintao. A file photo

NEW DELHI (PTI): After a break of one year, India is set to restore full defence cooperation with China, with a visit by a high-level military delegation there next month.

The decision to resume defence cooperation with China was arrived at during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Beijing in April this year.

"The delegation would be led by a Major General Rank officer from Northern Command. The issues to be discussed are being finalised," Army officials said here.

They further added that Maj Gen Gurmeet Singh, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Delta Force, would lead the delegation. His name has been cleared by Beijing.

Delta Force takes care of militancy-infested areas of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir.

As part of the renewed defence cooperation, a series of interactions are being planned between the defence forces of two nations.

During Singh's visit, the two countries also agreed on visits by senior political leaders, holding of strategic economic dialogue, official consultations and people-to-people contacts.

The decision to send a military delegation to China marks an end to the freeze on high-level defence exchanges by India after the then Northern Army Commander Lt Gen B S Jaswal was denied a proper visa in July last year for travel to Beijing because he served in Jammu and Kashmir.

India called off defence exchanges last year after China refused visa to Gen Jaswal on the ground that he headed troops in Jammu and Kashmir.

China apparently started issuing stapled visas to residents of J&K since 2008 on the ground that it is a "disputed" territory for which India raised vociferous objections.