Article Posted on : - Jul 26, 2014

A file photo.

BEIJING (PTI): India has expanded the strength of its defence attaches in China by adding Navy and Air Force officials in addition to a senior officer from the Army to step up engagement between the armed forces of the two sides.

Captain Sushant Dam of the Indian Navy and Group Captain Ashish Srivastava of the Air Force took charge at the mission.

They will be in addition to Col. Iqbal Samyal from the Army who is the Defence attache at the Indian mission here.

The addition of the attaches from the Navy and Air Force is only on the Indian side as Chinese Embassy in India already has an expanded defence wing, Indian officials here said.

The Chinese mission in New Delhi has more than double the size of personnel in all its wings compared to the Indian Embassy here which is gradually bolstering its strength as the relations expanded in the last few years with close engagement between the two countries.

Both sides now have enhanced military cooperation and initiated confidence building measures to improve the defence cooperation, a senior Indian diplomat said.

The addition of the naval and air force wings would help India to understand the fast expanding Chinese military with a budget three times the size of India.

Chinese navy and air force are modernising in a big way expanding their indigenous development.

China's first aircraft carrier has become operational and the country is building another three equipped with new generation of indigenously made aircraft.