China hopeful of better military ties with India in 2015

India and China "properly tackled" the issues of "confrontation" along their border, Chinese Defence Ministry said on Thursday  hoping that next year the two sides would ensure that the border situation remains peaceful and military ties develop at a "good momentum".

Summing up the relations between the two militaries this year which despite signing of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) witnessed a major standoff at the border, Col Yang Yujin, spokesman of the Ministry, said the two sides "properly tackled issues of confrontation at Line of Actual Control (LAC)". The incursion by Chinese troops took place at Chumar in Ladkh coinciding with the visit Chinese President Xi Jinping to India in September this year.

It was resolved after prolonged negations following which both sides simultaneously withdrew from the area. "Next year the two militaries will strengthen exchange and cooperation and ensure that the border situation remains peaceful and the military relations can develop at a good momentum," he told a media briefing here replying to question on the state of the military relations this year and their outlook for the next year. "At the same, we should focus on the implementation of the BDCA signed by the two governments and ensures peace and stability along the India-China border," he said.

The BDCA was signed during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit here last year, outlining a number of steps to be followed by troops of both sides while patrolling the areas claimed by both sides along the disputed border. Yang said this year is the year of friendly exchanges between India and China.

"There are several important cooperation projects and programme between the two militaries. There has been frequent exchange of high level delegations. Both sides held the defence consultation and joint counter-terrorism army training," he said. "At the same time neighbouring area military commands of the two sides as well as border defence troops of both sides conducted regular exchanges," he said, adding that both sides are in the process of finalising exchanges for the next year.