India and China resume joint military drills after one year gap
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NEW DELHI - India and China will resume their joint military drills after a one-year gap on Tuesday in the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu to improve capabilities in fighting terrorism and promote mutual understanding, officials said on Sunday.The opening ceremony of the drills will be held on December 11, they said.
Each side will send 100 troops to take part in the 7th India and China joint military exercises - 'Hand in Hand' - which will focus on counter-terrorism operations, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Col Ren Guoqiang said last month.The exercises will be held after a gap of one year as both the sides were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam in the Sikkim sector of the border in 2017.
The strained relations between the two sides later improved resulting in an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Chinese city of Wuhan in April this year.
"The drill will promote understanding between the two militaries and improving their capabilities in fighting terrorism," Col Ren said.
