India is “seriously considering” establishing a hotline connection between its and Chinese military headquarters, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told parliament.

“It is being seriously considered to establish a hotline connection between the military headquarters of India and China. This is as per the provisions of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement 2013 between the two countries,” Parrikar told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

“The establishment of a hotline between military headquarters of India and China has been discussed at various forums with China,” he said.

The issue was discussed during the visit of the Indian chairman of chiefs of staff committee to China in July 2014 and the 7th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) held in New Delhi Oct 16-17.

The hotline is expected to be helpful in situations like recent stand-off between the two armies in Ladakh.