Rivals and neighbours: China and India count down to joint military drill
- A year and a half has passed since their Himalayan stand-off and the armed forces of the two countries are trying to rebuild trust – but barriers remain
China and India will launch a two-week joint military drill on Tuesday, the first exercise of its kind since the two Asian giants were locked in a tense border stand-off in the Himalayas 18 months ago.
Analysts said the drill could help rebuild trust between the two countries’ militaries, but would not erase mutual suspicions.
Dubbed “Hand in Hand”, the exercise will take place in Chengdu, Sichuan province, neighbouring Tibet, where the two countries have had competing border interests for decades.
The exercise has been held each year since 2013 but was called off last year in the aftermath of the two-month-long stand-off.
It is designed to build trust between the armed forces and bolster joint efforts against terrorism, and follows a warming in India-China relations.
On the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina late last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed that there had been a “perceptible improvement” in bilateral ties since they met in April.