The Hindu : Front Page : Army, PLA to hold joint exercises in China

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Wednesday, Aug 08, 2007
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Army, PLA to hold joint exercises in China

Sandeep Dikshit

Two-week manoeuvres to be held for the first time in the Chengdu military region

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army would hold joint exercises with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Chinese soil for the first time in October-November this year, it was decided at a planning conference of both armies.

Army sources said the two-week exercises would be held in the Chengdu military region, which oversees border security with India among other countries, and about 60 Indian Army military personnel would take part.

Though both sides had held a few naval exercises of a preliminary nature, the Army manoeuvres were firmed up four years after India expressed interest in this direction.

The exercises would include capsules for combating trans-national terrorism and joint command and control structures. As part of the move to build closer ties between the two armies, India had offered the PLA officers courses in training establishments of the Indian Army. Joint adventure activities were also in the offing, said the sources.

The exercises, to take place in the Malang Training Area of Yunan Province, were firmed up during the then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to China last year with the signing of a defence accord to institutionalise training, exercises and other contacts between the defence forces.

This was followed up with a visit by the Chief of the Army Staff, J. J. Singh, during which he proposed finalisation of details.

Confidence building

The then Defence Minister George Fernandes had expressed the desire for joint exercises and this was reciprocated by his counterpart Cao Gangchuan during his visit to India a year later in 2004.The exercises were expected to augment the confidence building measures (CBMs) to ensure tranquillity along the line of actual control (LAC) initiated in 1996.

Another pact on the CBMs in 2005 had led to the withdrawal of heavy weaponry such as tanks, combat vehicles and anti-aircraft missiles from the vicinity of the LAC.

The two armies were also interacting and holding flag meetings to resolve issues of discord, the sources said.

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