From correspondents in Delhi, India, 09:32 PM IST

In the midst of the growing India-China bonhomie, Beijing has inexplicably decided to stay away from DEFEXPO-2008 international military exposition that opens here Saturday.

Pakistan, however, was not invited to the four-day event at which a record 273 defence manufacturers from 30 countries - and 202 from India - will be showcasing their varied portfolios.

'Yes, I can confirm that China has not accepted our invitation,' Secretary (Defence Production) Pradeep Kumar said cryptically.

'Pakistan was not invited,' he added, without elaborating.

Officials here were not surprised at China's decision to stay away.

'Obviously, the Chinese do not view India as a market as they sell varied equipment to Pakistan and New Delhi would thus be wary of doing business with them,' official sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

At the same time, sources expected some diplomats and defence officers from the Chinese embassy here to visit the exposition.

The Chinese decision would also not impact on the growing military ties between the two Asian giants.

The two armies had last month conducted their first-ever joint drill in China and are scheduled to conduct another in India later this year.

Prior to the exercise, the two countries had also initiated their annual defence dialogue and will conduct another one in India, also later in the year.

Chinese military officers also expected to witness the 'Brazen Chariot' war game to be jointly conducted by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan's Thar Desert next month.

Spread over eight halls and 32,000 sq metres of open and covered space, DEFEXPO-2008 will see the launch of a staggering 91 new products ranging from radars, to communications systems, torpedoes, anti-mine vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles and combat clothing.

And given the fast warming ties between New Delhi and Washington, it is not surprising that US companies should be making a beeline for the biennial exposition. A total of 46 American companies, the largest from any country, are represented at the show.

They include giants like Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Sikorsky besides the US defence department.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)