ISLAMABAD: China in a way has ignored the visit of the Indian Prime Minister to China as no harsh word or serious criticism has come from Beijing on a lavish reception for Narendra Modi and a joint communique in the wake of his meeting with US President Joe Biden.

Beijing has made it clear on Monday that “it has been China’s longstanding position that military cooperation between states, should not undermine regional peace and stability, target any third party, or even harm the interests of any third party.” In a media briefing in capital Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, in response to a question by a Russian news agency reporter, seeking her reaction to a host of defence and commercial agreements during Modi’s state visit to Washington last week, said, “We hope relevant countries will act in ways conducive to mutual trust between regional countries in the field of security and stability in the region.”

General Electric Aerospace has announced that it has inked a pact with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Light Combat Aircraft TEJAS MK-2. India announced its intention to procure armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones from General Atomics. This advanced technology will increase India’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities over disputed border areas with China in the Himalayas. The General Atomics MQ-9 “Reaper” armed drone can carry 500 per cent more payload and has nine times the horsepower in comparison to the earlier MQ-1 Predator. Moreover, MQ-9 UAV provides long-endurance, persistent surveillance, and strike capability for the war fighter.