NEW DELHI – Indian and Chinese troops on Saturday concluded the seventhround of counter-terrorism military exercises in China’s Chengdu cityduring which over 100-strong contingents from both nations conducted thedrills while living and dining together to build up a sense of camaraderie.
This year’s ‘Hand-in-Hand’ exercises focussing on urban terrorism weresignificant as they were held after a gap of a year. The drills were notheld last year following the 73-day military standoff at Doklam whichratcheted up tensions between the two armies.The specially-designed drillswere in keeping with the spirit of this year’s summit at Wuhan betweenPrime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to improve relationsbetween the two militaries.
The fortnight-long exercises concluded with mixed teams from both armiesdemonstrating seven rounds of different counter terrorism drills practicedby them since December 11.State-run TV channel CGTN livestreamed theconcluding ceremony and the exercises highlighting their significance.
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The theme of the exercises which included live firing and demonstration ofdriving skills was to rescue hostages held by terrorists in an urbanenvironment. The troops also showcased counter-terrorism tactics andskills, such as combat firing, and rope bridge crossing.The 2016 exercisesheld in Pune had focussed on counter terrorism exercises in non-urban areas.
