Indian defense chief starts 6-day China visit

Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Beijing Sunday afternoon for talks with Chinese officials on Sino-Indian military ties.

"As guest of his Chinese counterpart Cao Gangchuan, Mukherjee will visit China from Sunday to next Friday," sources with the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said.

This is Mukherjee's first trip to China since the assumption of his post in 2004, during which, he is expected to meet and hold talks with Chinese leaders and senior military officers.

"The visit is with the objective of keeping our relationship warm and also to expand our areas of cooperation," Mukherjee said prior to his China trip.

The Indian minister will travel to northwestern China's Gansu Province and Shanghai municipality, the country's economic hub in east China.

Source: Xinhua