On December 9, 2011, Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and Shashikant Sharma, Defense Secretary of India, jointly hosted the fourth round of China-India defense and security consultation. The two sides conducted in-depth exchange of views with regards to such issues as the regional security situation, the relations between the two countries and the two militaries, the situations of the army building of the two countries and others of common concern.

Both sides believe that as the world's two largest developing countries, China and India share a broad range of common interests in safeguarding world peace, maintaining regional stability, promoting each country's economic and social development, and so forth.

The two sides agree that in the upcoming years, in order to set the relations between the two militaries on a stable and healthy track of development, both China and India should make efforts to grasp such key issues as "enhancing mutual trust, keeping friendly relations, expanding cooperation, and stabilizing border defense", further enhance mutual understanding and strengthen the exchange and cooperation in various fields.

Both sides made positive assessment on the positive results achieved in the consultation, and hoped to conduct further communication and consultation on current basis and protect and expand the shared understandings and common interests. It is hoped that through strengthening pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries, new energy and connotation will be constantly pumped into the development of the relations between the two countries.

On the same day, Indian Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony met the Chinese military delegation headed by Ma Xiaotian. Ma Xiaotian expressed that both the Chinese and Indian militaries carried the joint responsibility of maintaining the stability of strategic relationship between the two countries, and the two sides should strengthen communication, promote mutual understanding, and resolve problems so as to strive for further enhancement of strategic mutual trust, expand the fields of cooperation, increase the contents of cooperation, and push forward the comprehensive development of the relations between the two countries.

In the afternoon, Ma Xiaotian also met Admiral Nirmal Verma, chairman of the Indian Chief of Staff Committee and chief of naval staff.

At the invitation of Indian side, Ma Xiaotian and the military delegation arrived in New Delhi on December 8 to attend the fourth round of China-India defense and security consultation held on December 9, 2011.