Building India-China hand-in-hand anti-terrorism exercise, both nations exchange military excellence
December 12, Beijing: Opening ceremony of the 7th India-China joint Hand-in-hand training exercises was held in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Tuesday. The training exercises are to be held till December 23 in China. The aim of the Hand-in-Hand exercises is to build closer relations between the militaries of India and China. Soldiers from the two sides will be mixed and regrouped to finish an anti-terrorism operation in the streets.
The training exercise is a part of focussed efforts taken by both sides to improve ties between the two militaries after last year’s 73-day standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim sector.
The Indian military contingent headed by Col. Puneet Tomar arrived in Chengdu city on Monday to take part in the exercises to foster closer ties between the two militaries which guard the 3488-km long Line of Actual Control (LAC). Both sides have fielded 100 personnel to take part in the seventh edition of the exercises. China has fielded its troops from the Tibetan military command of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and India has its Indian Army Contingent in the field.
The exercise will be focussing on tactical level operations in an International Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorist environment as per UN mandate.
"We wish to see good outcomes," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told media in Beijing. "Departments on the two sides in charge of various fields are making positive efforts to more effectively implement the consensus reached between the two state leaders. Contacts between the two militaries and border troops are part of these efforts,” he added. He referred to the Wuhan Summit that happened in China in April this year between Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping as, “the important consensus reached between the two leaders to improve relations”.
Besides resuming the defence dialogue after the standoff, the two countries also held the 21st round of border talks to resolve the boundary issue.