World Tibet Network News Sunday, April 26, 1998

by Pratap Chakravarty

NEW DELHI, April 25 (AFP) - India will roll out the red carpet for the

first-ever visit by a chief of the Chinese army but friction over Beijing's

alleged missile technology sales to Pakistan could overshadow the trip, analysts said.

India says the visit by General Fu Quanyou, chief of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), beginning Sunday, will boost "confidence-building measures" between the two neighbours which fought a brief border war in 1962.

Indian military analysts, however, warn that Fu's trip will be "reduced to a public relations exercise" by China to mollify India, which recently accused Beijing of supplying long-range missile technology to arch-rival Pakistan.

An Indian defence ministry spokesman said: "Despite the minor irritants the thrust of the talks will be on peace and tranquillity on the Sino-Indian border."

The Chinese army chief will be accorded a 21-gun salute before he meets India's new Defence Minister George Fernandes, a deputy foreign minister and his military counterparts here for several rounds of talks, he said.

Fu, who will be accompanied by his chief military commander of Tibet, naval chief and the deputy airforce chief on his five-day visit, will also inspect Indian defence installations before leaving for Denmark next Friday.

Fu's visit to India is the first by a Chinese military chief. General Bipin Joshi in 1994 became the first Indian army chief to visit China, followed by several exchanges at lower levels of the two armies.

K.N. Ramachandran, of the independent Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, said: "Substantial results will not emerge from Fu's visit because political and military distrust between the two sides is deep-rooted.

"The 'Ghauri' (missile) could shadow the talks but China will not say anything concrete on the issue," Ramchandran said in reference to Indian charges that Pakistan recently launched a surface-to-surface missile with Chinese technology.