Q+A | Liang Guanglie

Editor's Note: Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie provided written answers to questions submitted by Indian media on a number of military issues relating to Sino-Indian relations.

1. How does China view the current overall situation in the border areas with India?

The boundary issue in China-India relations is an issue left over from history. It is also an issue at the political and diplomatic level between the two sides. The Chinese side is willing to push forward bilateral negotiations on the boundary issue and seek fair, reasonable and mutually-acceptable solutions in the spirit of peace and friendliness, equal consultation, mutual respect and mutual accommodation. Before the final settlement of the boundary issue, the Chinese side is willing to work together with the Indian side to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in border areas.

The exchange and cooperation between the border troops of China and India is an important basis for maintaining stability in the border areas. In recent years, with concerted efforts of both sides, we have generally maintained peace and stability in the border areas. The Chinese side hopes to strengthen friendly exchanges on border affairs at different levels, actively conduct border meetings and talks, as well as jointly celebrate of festivals between the border troops of both sides, so as to deepen understanding and promote friendship. At the same time, both sides need to strictly abide by the relevant agreements signed between the two countries, restrict its own border troop personnel, coordinate and handle various cases through diplomatic means and border meetings and talks, and not unilaterally expand areas of activities and military deployment along the Line of Actual Control, so as to jointly maintain a stable situation in the border areas.

2. The need for the navies of India and China to work together on the high seas is great, especially as the PLA Navy involves itself in anti-piracy missions in the Indian Ocean region and India increases its naval presence in East Asia. India and China have never had full-fledged naval exercises. Are there plans to increase exchanges to build more trust between the navies?

As a matter of fact, the navies of China and India have already carried out good cooperation. Since 2003, the two sides have conducted several joint maritime search and rescue exercises. Since January, countries that independently carry out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, like China, India and Japan, have strengthened their coordination in this area, adjusted and integrated their escort schedule on a quarterly basis. China and India have undertaken the responsibility of rotation-reference country in the first and second quarters of this year respectively, which has now been taken over by Japan. It is the first time the PLA Navy has conducted this kind of maritime security cooperation with foreign counterparts. Such cooperation helps to make overall management and utilization of escorting naval assets from different countries, and enhance the efficiency of international escort efforts, which would provide better protection for the commercial vessels of various countries. In addition, this year is the Year of China-India Friendship and Cooperation. The PLA Navy Zhenghe training ship paid a port call to Cochin in May, and Indian naval ships visited Shanghai in June. The exchange activities between the two navies are important programs of the Year of China-India Friendship and Cooperation.

The PLA holds an open and active attitude toward continuing joint training exercises with our Indian counterpart. As to the details, the two sides need to discuss further. We believe that strengthening friendly exchanges between the two armed forces will help promote mutual understanding between the two peoples and build mutual trust between the two armed forces. It would lay a good foundation for further cooperation in the future, and make active contributions to maintaining regional and world peace and stability.

3. With greater involvement in anti-piracy missions, will China, require a permanent military facility for its ships in the Indian Ocean region?

The Chinese government persists in following a peaceful development path. The PLA has never established a military base overseas. The PLA Navy ships, while conducting long-distance voyages, often went to close ports of littoral countries for logistic supply. This is a common practice of world navies. Since the beginning of their escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia at the end of 2008, the PLA Navy ships have conducted logistic supply from the ports of Djibouti, Oman and Yemen. According to the need of escort missions and other long-distance voyages, we would also consider having logistic supply or short rest at appropriate ports of other countries. Such logistic supply activities do not have any connection with establishing military bases overseas.

4. There are reports of 4,000 troops of the PLA, mainly from the engineering corps, being deployed in the region of Kashmir currently on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control. Could you clarify if this is correct and how does China view India's concerns on the matter?

About the above-mentioned report, we made a formal response on April 20, 2011. As Minister of National Defense of China, I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify to you once again: The PLA has never deployed a single soldier in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The above-mentioned reports or similar allegations are totally groundless. The fact is that, India-Pakistan relations have been continuously improving in recent years. As a neighbor of both India and Pakistan, China firmly supports India and Pakistan to properly solve their disputes through dialogue and cooperation, so as to achieve common development.

It needs to be stressed that China always holds an explicit attitude toward developing the strategic and cooperative partnership between the two countries. It is regrettable that some media in India occasionally make some groundless comments when reporting on China-India relations. Some even distort China's normal activities of developing economy and improving people's livelihood, even some humanitarian assistance, into "China's preparation for war against India". For such untruthful remarks, some were said due to lack of understanding and knowledge of about the truth. And some others were intentionally fabricated rumors by some interest groups.

We believe that releasing false news to the public equals hiding the truth. I hope the Indian media, in their reports, could keep the freedom of news report while carefully checking and verifying the accuracy of information. I hope they can disclose truths as well as clarify rumors, so as to bring truth to the readers, and ensure the public's right to know.

(China Daily 09/05/2012 page11)