India, China begin joint drills with focus on terror

India, China begin joint drills with focus on terror

• India and China have begun a 10-day joint military drill on counterterrorism — the first such exercise between the two sides in five years, in Miaoergang, a town southwest of ‘Chengdu’ — the provincial capital of the western Sichuan province (southwestern China) aimed at boosting trust between the militaries.
• The two contingents will conduct counter-terrorism drills involving tactical hand signals, arrest and escort, hostage rescue, joint attacks and ‘a comprehensive anti-terror combat drill’.
• Just a week before (Last week of October, 2013) had both countries signed a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) to expand confidence-building measures (CBMs). The drill is in this direction.
• Chengdu is the headquarters of one of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) seven Military Area Commands (MACs). The Chengdu MAC holds responsibility for the entire Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), as well as the middle and eastern sections of the border with India.
• The larger objective is to expand confidence and trust between two militaries, which are often grappling with tensions along the border.

Background:

• This is the third round of the “hand-in-hand” drills that the two countries initiated in 2007 in Kunming, in southwestern Yunnan province. The second round was held in Belgaum, Karnataka, the following year.
• Defence exchanges were suspended for more than a year in 2009, after China refused to host the then head of the Northern Command, citing its “sensitivities” on Kashmir. The move had came amid a disputed over China’s issuing of stapled visas to Indian residents of Jammu and Kashmir. Later, India agreed to resume defence ties after China withdrew the stapled visa policy, following the former Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to India in 2010.