Army Chief General JJ Singh, who is also Chairman Chief of Staffs Committee (COSC) returned on May 28, 2007, after leading a week long Tri-Service Military Delegation to China. This was the third visit of an Indian Army Chief and the first by any Chairman of the COSC to China.

General JJ Singh arrived in Beijing on 21 May to a ceremonial welcome by his Chinese counterpart General Liang Guanglie at the headquarters of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the top military organ of China. During the weeklong visit, the General held wide ranging talks with his counterpart as well as General Guo Boxiong, Vice Chairman of the CMC and other senior defence officials. His schedule included a call on the Chinese Vice President Zeng Quinghong and the newly appointed Foreign Minister, Yang Jiechie as well as visits to operational formations and higher military training institutions like Academy of Military Sciences (AMS), Beijing.

The Indian delegation visited various PLA formations and institutions including the 15 Airborne Corps at Wuhan, 28 Air Division at Hangzhou and a naval base at Shanghai.

The two Armed Forces have upgraded military to military cooperation in a graduated manner which began from setting up of “peace and tranquility” mechanism along the LAC and has over the past few years graduated to holding of cultural and sports events amongst forces deployed in the border areas; allowing each other’s military “observers” at military exercises and maneuvers; extending facility of attending courses of instructions at each other’s military training facilities and finally leading to inviting high level visits by respective military delegations to each other’s military establishments.

But the Chinese are not to be trusted. All the states around it like Russia, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and India have a bad experience with China in the past and distrust China. Inspite of Chinese attempts to doctor the past history towards its favour, the fact remains that it is the agressor. While it is prudent to keep its enemy close, India should ensure that 1962 is not repeated.