Indian Navy chief to meet Chinese delegation

New Delhi, Dec 2 : Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma will meet a visiting Chinese defence delegation Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two navies.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Navy Day Dec 4, Verma said India and China share common concerns.

"The Chinese delegation is here. I will be meeting them in the evening (Wednesday). I may be meeting them for the first time but there have been occasions earlier when officers from both navies have interacted," Verma told reporters.

"The main thrust during the discussion is that whatever is coming in the media should not be misunderstood," Verma added.

The Indian Navy has for long expressed apprehension about the increased presence of its Chinese counterpart in the Indian Ocean region and hopes to blunt its thrust through greater cooperation. A joint exercise by the two navies has been in the offing for some time now.

"Chinese energy flows through the Indian Ocean Region. I expect the concern are similar to ours.... We are both growing economies," said Verma.

Earlier this year former Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta had made the first visit by an Indian Navy chief to China.

During the International Fleet Review held to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), Indian Navy's guided missile destroyers INS Mumbai and INS Ranveer, the guided missile corvette INS Khanjar and the tanker INS Jyoti also participated.

Indian and Chinese warships have been making calls at each other's ports as part of growing confidence building measures between the two sides. The two nations, who fought a brief but bloody war in 1962, have been steadily ramping up their military ties.

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in May 2006 during a visit to Beijing by then defence minister Pranab Mukherjee that said they would hold joint military exercises, join forces in counter-terrorism and anti-piracy efforts and also cooperate in search and rescue operations.