China and India have concluded 12 days of joint military training and exercises in Yunnan in the southwest of China. The 'Hand in Hand' drill ended with a simulated joint counter-terrorism mission.
Exercises are really an important way to ensure that the plans to respond to terrorist threats along the China-India border areas are as good as they can be. After nearly 2 weeks of intensive training, the troops are showing us what they're made of.
China is hosting the joint military drill to highlight what it regards as a growing threat from terrorism and extremism. Today's mission is to crack down on a group of terrorists who've been hiding in a mountainous area without causing any casualties in nearby villages.
In the drill, 40 terrorists are active in an area with a complex terrain and are on high alert for reconnaissance from anyone outside the village. Some 200 counter-terrorism troops make up the elite unit of the operation. And the Indian commander wants to leave no room for error.
"If the tunnels (outside the village) are actually connected, the terrorists can very easily use them for supply and moving people, and in fact for escaping...So we need to let our scouts to monitor that," Ruchir Pant, Indian commander of China-India Joint Military Training, said.
The rapid assault mission deployed tactics such as fast-roping from cliffs and storming buildings to rescue hostages. A drill like this doesn't usually involve unexpected occurrences. Instead, what counts is how the two sides can improve their intelligence sharing and joint decision making.
"Overall, it was a smooth operation...and it's not like the old story of counter-terror crackdown, but considering the language barrier and the differences in real combat, essentially both troops have exchanged their experiences and become more coordinated," Yang Jiansong, Chinese commander of China-India Joint Military Training, said.
China and India have held 5 joint military exercises in the past 8 years and they've signed a border defense cooperation agreement to expand confidence-building measures. It is a signal that military cooperation can greatly enhance bilateral relations.
