A joint training between the Chinese and Indian militaries concluded on Saturday in Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
During the final day of the two-week military exchange, the troops, regrouped in mixed teams, showcased some of the counter-terrorism tactics and skills they learned during the training, including obstacle overcoming, rope bridge crossing, combat firing and emergency driving, among other subjects.
They had a simulated rescue operation that tested their capabilities in responding to terrorism threats in urban areas.
Codenamed "Hand-in-Hand 2018," this is the seventh counter-terrorism joint training between China and India since 2007. Both sides hailed the drill as a significant move in promoting mutual trust.
Troops from both sides participate in a simulated hostage rescue operation. /CGTN Photo
"This training is a great opportunity for both sides to learn from each other. It has promoted our friendship and deepened mutual understanding and trust. Such pragmatic and deep exchange is also conducive to pushing forward the ties between the two countries to a higher level," said Wang Weijun, head of the directing panel of this program from the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
Sanjiv Rai, a major general from the Indian army who headed an observer group, said the military exchange is a practice to implement the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries during their meeting in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in April.
A trainee from Indian military demonstrates obstacle-overcoming skills. /CGTN Photo
"We have been looking forward to this exercise for a long time, the last exercise was in 2016," said the general, adding that the interaction is a nice experience for both troops.
"This has just been a stepping stone. In fact, we would like to see the PLA come to India and do some training. We also look forward to doing a lot of training, not only coming to the hinterland but also along the border areas. This (training) has brought the two armies very close and (we can) understand each other much better," he added.
Troops from both sides participate in a simulated hostage rescue operation. /CGTN Photo
Participants from both sides say they have learned a lot about each other and hope there will be more such exchanges in the future.
(Wang Shudong also contributed to this story.)