In A First, India And China Hold Joint Army Exercise In Eastern Ladakh

India and China on Wednesday conducted their first-ever joint army exercise in eastern Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army stated that the day-long exercise was focused on humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Joint teams carried out rescue operations, evacuation and rendering of medical assistance in a fictitious situation of an earthquake striking an Indian border village.

The statement called it a part of "ongoing initiative to enhance interaction and cooperation between India and China", and added that it increased "trust and cooperation between the two border guarding forces along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh".

The exercise was held in the area of the Border Personnel Meeting Hut at Chushul Garrison of Eastern Ladakh with the Chinese troops of Moldo Garrison. The Indian team was led by Brigadier R.S. Raman and the Chinese side was led by Sr Col Fan Jun.

The exercise complements the Hand in Hand series of the India-China joint exercises and the effort of both the nations to enhance cooperation and maintain peace and tranquility along the border areas. Exercise Hand in Hand series, which started in 2007, was held at Kunming Military Academy in Yunnan province of China in 2015. This year's edition of Hand in Hand will be held at Aundh, near Pune in Maharashtra, from November 15 to 27.

The exercise comes at a time when India’s relations with both its neighbors- Pakistan and China- have deteriorated considerably. China’s consistent non-cooperation with India on issues such as widening trade imbalance, India’s membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and ban on Masood Azhar has affected bilateral relations. Moreover, China’s support for Islamabad following the attack on an Indian army base in Uri is being interpreted in India as a change in its Kashmir policy.

With Inputs From IAN