May 30, 200620 yr Hmm, does this mean a China vs India scenario is no longer "realistic" ? From DefenseNews China, India Sign Military Accord By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BEIJING China and India signed an agreement May 30 to expand defense ties, the Chinese foreign ministry said, in a deal that is expected to see the neighbors conduct more military training exercises. The memorandum of understanding was signed during a visit by Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters. ”Military exchanges will be an important part of bilateral ties,” Liu said. ”Reinforcement of mutual trust and exchanges will be beneficial for the development of all-round cooperation partnership in the two countries.” The Indian defense ministry said ahead of Mukherjee’s trip, which began May 28, that the agreement would institutionalize training, exercises and other contacts between the armed forces of the countries. The agreement would aim to develop a “strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity between India and China,” and enhance trust between their two militaries, the ministry said. The China Daily reported May 29 that the agreement could become an instrument for a regular and sustained dialogue between the two countries on defense issues. Mukherjee held meetings with his Chinese counterpart Cao Gangchuan and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on May 29, then met with Premier Wen Jiabao on May 30. During his five-day trip, Mukherjee will also visit military bases in Beijing and Shanghai as well as in Lanzhou, the capital of northwest China’s Gansu province, the Indian embassy said. China-India relations have improved in recent years as both countries have made efforts to complement instead of compete with each other’s growth. However, the two still have not resolved a decades-old border dispute — the result of a brief but bitter conflict in 1962.
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