In a sign of expanding military-to-military engagement between India and China, permanent representatives of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy have, for the first time, taken office in Beijing.
Group Captain Ashish Srivastava of the Indian Air Force and Captain Sushant Dam of the Indian Navy will begin their terms as the Air and Naval attachés in the Indian Embassy in Beijing on Friday.
Earlier, India only had a Defence attaché from the Indian Army, along with a Deputy Defence attaché, posted in Beijing.
The question of expanding India’s military representation had been discussed by both sides over several years, with China finally agreeing to the move this past year. Traditionally, India has only had attachés from all three services in the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia.
That China will join those countries underscores the increasing importance — and widening engagement— between the two militaries. Especially on the naval side, the need for representation had become apparent as both sides have stepped up exchanges even as their navies are more frequently encountering each other on the high seas.
The absence of a permanent naval attaché in Beijing posed logistical obstacles, with the defence attachés having to liaise with the People’s Liberation Army Navy over plans for exercises and visits — a situation that even the Chinese side acknowledged was unusual.
