Home Ministery of India and China's Ministry of Public Security today inked an agreement on security cooperation during the the first India-China high level meeting on bilateral security cooperation which was co-chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Zhao Kezhi, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, China in New Delhi.
"The agreement will further strengthen and consolidate discussions and cooperation in areas of counter-terrorism, organised crimes, drug control and other such relevant areas," the statement said.
Even though an MoU had ben signed by the two sides in the spheres of security years ago, it had lapsed a few years ago.
The Monday's pact may lead to signing of a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in future, an official said.
Zhao Kezhi is on a bilateral visit to India from October 21 to 25 during which he will also travel to Mumbai.
The meeting comes just a year after a two-month-long border stand-off between the India Army and the China's People's Liberation Army at Doklam on the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction.
During the meeting, Indian delegatiion, which also included MoS Kiren Rijiju, asked China to support the pending application in the UN to designate Pakistan-based JeM terror group leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. It also asked Beijing not to give shelter to hardline ULFA leader Paresh Baruah on its soil.
"The key concerns of both the countries were flagged and both the sides assured each other full cooperation," an official, who was part of the Indian delegation, said.
The key Indian concerns are China's objection to the application to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar as terrorist under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council, frequent visit of United Liberation Front Of Assam (ULFA) leader Paresh Baruah to China and smuggling of arms and narcotics to the Northeast, the official said.
A veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked the bid at the United Nations to list Azhar as global terrorist.
The official said that Chinese concerns included insurgency in Xinjiang by Uyghur extremists.
After two rounds of meetings, restricted talks between Singh and Zhao followed by delegation-level parleys, the home ministry said in a statement that the two sides discussed issues of mutual interest, including bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, and welcomed increased security cooperation between India and China.
The Chinese delegation also visited the headquarters of the CRPF, country's largest paramilitary force, where they were given a presentation about the functions of the force.
'Arunachal' leader Kiren Rijiju attends meeting wih Chinese delegation
Union minister Kiren Rijiju was a part of the high-level delegation with China in New delhi today. At first the name of Rijiju, who was part of the Indian team led by Singh, did not figure for talks with the Chinese delegation. Later, a message was sent to him to reach North Block which houses the Home Ministry and where the delegation-level talks was supposed to be held in minutes, an official in the Ministry of Home Affairs privy to the development was quoted by PTI as saying.
A home ministry spokesperson declined to comment.
Rijiju hails from Arunachal Pradesh, which China considers as a "disputed" territory. China does not issue regular visas to people from Arunachal Pradesh but gives staple visa, which India has been protesting strongly. India considers Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of the country.
It was not immediately not known whether, at the restricted meeting, Singh informed his Chinese counterpart about Rijiju's participation in the delegation-level talks held shortly afterwards.
During the visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh in April 2017, China warned it would take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests, saying India "obstinately" allowed the Tibetan spiritual leader to visit the "disputed" parts of the Northeastern state, causing "serious damage" to the bilateral ties.
China routinely protest visits of Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh.
In November 2017, China objected to President Ram Nath Kovind's visit to the northeastern state, saying India should refrain from "complicating" their border dispute when bilateral ties were poised at a "crucial moment".
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh in February 2015, China said it has never recognised the state and is "opposed" to the prime minister's visit to the "disputed area".
A similar protest was also lodged by China when Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had visited Arunachal Pradesh and Beijing said her tour of the "disputed area" is not conducive to peace in the frontier region and asked New Delhi to create an "enabling environment" to resolve the border row.
(With inputs from PTI)
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