On the second day of their joint exercise "Hand-in-Hand", Indian and Chinese soldiers matched their steps to a popular Indian folk song during their leisure time in Chengdu, where the 7th edition of the exercise is underway.
READ MORE: China Significantly Reduces Troops at Border With India – Government Source
— Rishikesh Kumar (@rishhikesh) December 12, 2018
The exercise began on December 11 and will go on until December 23. A 100-member contingent of the Indian Army's 11 Sikh Light Infantry and a regiment from the Tibetan Military District of the People's Liberation Army are participating in the exercise.
— ADG PI — INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) December 12, 2018
The focus of the exercise is on tactical level operations in an International Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorist environment as per UN mandate. Soldiers from the two sides will be mixed and regrouped to finish an anti-terrorism operation simulation in the streets.
The drills are being held after a gap of one year as the two armies were locked in a 73-day standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim sector last summer.
READ MORE: India, China to Expand Military Cooperation Year After Border Standoff
China on Monday expressed hope that the resumption of military exercises would yield good results for the improvement of bilateral ties according to the tone set by the Wuhan informal summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"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", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told the media in Beijing.
