PLAAF Chief Gen. Qiao Quingchen on historic trip to India
Dated 28/10/2006
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Chinese air force chief, Gen. Qiao Quingchen, is in India on a three-day visit.
Qiao's trip comes five months after then Indian defence minister Pranab Mukherjee travelled to Beijing on a historic visit that saw the countries sign a landmark agreement on cooperation in the defence field envisaging joint exercises by their armed forces and counter-terrorism measures.
While his talks with Indian military and civilian leaders are likely to focus on defence cooperation, issues like trade and the border question are also likely to figure.
Qiao's visit is also likely to have a bearing on the next border meeting of the two armies at Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh Monday-Tuesday.
Qiao is the second ranking Chinese military official to visit India this year after the People's Liberation Army's chief of staff, Gen. Liang Guanglie.
He arrived here from Pakistan, where President Pervez Musharraf conferred on him the country's highest military honour, the Nishan-I-Imtiaz, for promoting relations between the air forces of the two countries.
Putting behind them the bitterness of their 1962 border war, India and China have been steadily improving their ties in the strategic, economic and cultural spheres.
Qiao's visit comes ahead of a journey slated for November by Chinese President Hu Jintao that is expected to take economic and strategic ties between the Asian giants to new heights.
