Article Posted on : - Feb 07, 2011

NEW DELHI (PTI): India has decided to invite a Chinese delegation for Aero India in Bangalore starting February 9, a week after that country along with Pakistan and Iran did not figure among the participating countries for the biennial Air Show.

Chinese journalists would now also be allowed to get accreditation to cover the show and officers concerned have been asked to provide full cooperation to them, Defence Ministry officials told PTI here Sunday.

"The External Affairs Ministry gave its clearance for allowing a Chinese delegation to visit the show on Friday and necessary steps are being taken to facilitate their visit," they said.

The Chinese delegation for the show is likely to comprise its military officials based in the capital, they added.

Chinese journalists were barred from covering the show as the Defence Ministry did not keep any slot for China in the list of countries whose journalists could apply online on its website to make them eligible to cover the five-day event

Briefing newsmen on the show last week, Secretary (Defence Production) Rajkumar Singh had said the decision not to invite China was taken on the advice of the External Affairs Ministry.

India had invited China for the 2009 edition of the mega event but none had turned up for the show

Officials had said China, Pakistan and Iran were not considered by the committee concerned which selects countries to be invited for the show.

Relations between India and China of late have been marked by a continuing row over Beijing's visa policy under which residents of Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are given stapled visas instead of the regular stamped ones.

T he situation took an ugly turn last year when China denied a proper visa to the then Northern Army Commander Lt Gen B S Jaswal as he was based in J and K.

Jaswal was intending to travel to Beijing to take part in the Annual Defence Dialogue between the two sides.

India reacted strongly to this and suspended high level defence exchanges but China refuses to relent.