NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, People Liberation Army of China landed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir for a day long military war games with Indian counterpart- the state whey had maintained as ‘disputed’. In 2010, China had denied visa to Northern Army Commander Lt. General BS Jamwal, because he was responsible for Jammu & Kashmir, a state that China maintained, was ‘disputed’.
While canceling Lt. Gen Jamwal’s visa, Beijing had expressed its unwillingness to "welcome” senior Indian Army commander because he "controlled" a disputed area, J&K.
Indo-China military exercise was taken place in the backdrop of Beijing’s continuous support to Pakistan on India’s move to ban JeM chief Masood Azhar.
According to army the exercise conducted under the provisions of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement, 2013. “As part of the ongoing initiative to enhance interaction and cooperation between India and China, the Indian and Chinese armies held Second Joint Exercise “Sino-India Cooperation 2016”.
Army added that Wednesday’s exercise was a sequel to the first joint exercise held on 6th February this year at Chushul Garrison of Eastern Ladakh, along with Chinese troops of Moldo Garrison.
During the day-long exercise on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) a fictitious situation of earthquake striking an Indian Border village was painted. Thereafter joint teams carried out rescue operations, evacuation and rendering of medical assistance.
While Indian side was led by Brigadier RS Raman, Chinese PLA was represented by Senior Colonel Fan Jun.
“The exercise was a great success and has not only refined the drills to provide succor to the border population in case of natural calamity but has also increased the level of trust and cooperation between the two border guarding forces along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh,” said Army spokesperson Colonel Rohan Anand here in Army headquarters.
The joint exercise, compliments 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 of India and China, according to army officials.