India and China are poised to continue the Hand-in-Hand combat exercise, which was derailed in 2017. The resumption of the exercise is being considered an important step in the direction of confidence building measures (CBMs) and strengthening of military ties. The seventh edition of the HiH exercise will be organised in China in the month of December. The dates and the modalities of the important exercise will be decided in a conference, which is to be held in the first week of November. The exercisep will witness participation from about 175 soldiers from the 11 Sikh Light Infantry battalion, along with services and arms from the Northern Army Command. In another significant step that will further bolster India and China relations, an annual dialogue will be held between the defence secretaries of the two countries in December.
Both China and India have resolved to work towards the reduction of troop confrontations along the Line of Actual Control, which extends to 4,057 km. This will be achieved through the implementation of CBMs, additional border personnel meeting points as well as greater communication between the local commanders operating on the ground.
While on one hand, border tensions have diminished significantly since the Doklam episode, the rival troops have continued to lay claim to the disputed territories that stretch from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
