DHAKA: China and India began a joint anti-terrorism drill on Tuesday, the first such exercise by the Asian powers, which have a sometimes-fraught relationship, for five years.

The world’s two most populous countries each sent one company of soldiers to Chengdu, in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, for the ‘Hand-in-Hand 2013’ drill, according to Chinese state media reports, says The Straits Times.

The joint training exercise comes even as the two remain embroiled in a border dispute that has been unresolved for decades and has occasionally led to military standoffs.

In April, India accused Chinese troops of intruding into Indian-held territory, a row that was only resolved three weeks later when troops from both sides eventually pulled back.

BDST: 1746 HRS, NOV 05, 2013
RoR/RK