India, China to resume annual military exercise later this year

26/04/2018

NEW DELHI, Apr 25: Suspended after the Doklam face-off, the bilateral military exercise of India and China is likely to resume this year, in sync with renewed efforts by both the countries to reset ties hit by a tense standoff between their troops, government sources said today.
The exercise 'Hand-in-Hand' between the armies of the two countries will take place within next 4-5 months in China and an announcement is likely to be made very soon, sources told PTI.
It is learnt that the issue of resumption of the annual exercise had figured during talks between Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe in Beijing yesterday.
Sitharaman was in Beijing to attend a meeting of defence ministers of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) countries.
Prime Narendra Modi is travelling to Chinese city of Wuhan on Friday on a two-day visit to hold an "informal summit" with Chinese President Xi Jinping, seen as an effort to build mutual trust between the two sides.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou said the two leaders will try to reach important consensus to resolve outstanding issues and build mutual trust during their talks in Wuhan.
The government sources said both sides want to resume the military exercise as it will act as a confidence building measure between the two armies.
The annual exercise was to be hosted by China in 2017 but it did not take place due to the Doklam standoff. So far, both sides have participated in six editions of the exercise. India had hosted the exercise in 2016.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. The face off was "resolved" on August 28 last year.
The area in Doklam where China tried to construct a road is a disputed territory claimed by both China and Bhutan. India sent its troops to stop the Chinese construction activity, saying it could be a threat to its strategic interests in the region.
However, Consul General of China in Kolkata Ma Zhanwu today said the proposed meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping this month would boost the bilateral ties significantly.
Modi is scheduled to meet Xi at China's Wuhan city on April 27 and 28.
"Prime Minister Modi's meeting with Chinese premier Xi assumes a lot of significance, particularly after the Dokalam border standoff," Zhanwu said at the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce & Industry here.
He said the meeting would signify a new era in the relations between the two countries.
Growth of Chinese investments in India had dipped since the Dokalam stand-off in 2017, after having registered a new high in 2016, although on a small base.
"This is certainly going to reverse after the proposed high-level meeting," the envoy said.
Zhanwu said apart from economic exchanges, there was much scope for cooperation in the fields of culture and tourism.
On West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee agreeing to visit China this year, the Chinese official said, "We are working out the details".
He said the Chinese consulate here had been pursuing Banerjee to visit China for long.
"This is sure to happen this year. But one visit is not enough. When Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, he had visited China nine times. This had helped the state in bringing investments from China," Zhanwu added.

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