The proposed move, former Indian Army officials say, is part of China's strategy not to pass up on any opportunity to hound New Delhi. The Indian Army's routine intake of the fabled Gorkhas came to a halt after the Agnipath scheme was introduced.
The meeting in Washington assumes significance in the wake of the US's efforts in the recent weeks to try and wean India off Russian defence materiel and lure it into its own domestic military-industrial complex.