Hand-in-Hand Exercise 2018: Indian Army Troops Exchange Gifts With PLA Soldiers During The Military Drill

People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China is holding a joint military exercise ‘Hand in Hand’ with the Indian Army. The seventh edition of the military drill is being conducted at China’s Chengdu from December 10 – 23. The exercise has helped the both the armies to strengthen the mutual confidence level. Troops of both the nations exchanged gifts and pleasantries during the exercise. Yesterday, soldiers of the Indian and the Chinese armies played a friendly basketball match as part of the military drill. Both sides showcased excellent sportsmanship during the match. Hand-in-Hand Exercise 2018:Indian Army Contingent Plays Friendly Football Match With Chinese Army Troops, Watch Video

Ex #HandInHand2018. Troops of #IndianArmy & #ChineseArmy played a Friendly #Basketball match. Both sides showcased excellent sportsmanship during the match. #Synergy #Interoperability #UnitedNations @SpokespersonMoD @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/BdkJKfdb3V

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) December 16, 2018

Troops from both the nations exchanged pleasantries and gifts during ‘Hand in Hand’ joint military drill:

Ex #HandInHand2018 has helped to strengthen the mutual confidence level. In a vibrant ceremony, troops of #IndianArmy and #PLA exchanged gifts and pleasantries. #Synergy #Interoperability #UnitedNations @SpokespersonMoD @PIB_India @HQ_IDS_India pic.twitter.com/AqN3TEoLYW

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) December 17, 2018

Commanding Officer of 11 Sikh Li, Col Puneet Pratap Singh Tomar who is leading the Indian Contingent said that the exercise would achieve synergy in joint operations. He further added that the military drill is designed to exchange best practices between both the nations and would further strengthen ability of both the armies to operate jointly. Meanwhile, the Chinese contingent was led by Col Zhou Jun. Hand-in-Hand Exercise 2018: Indian Army Soldiers Teach Bhangra to Chinese Army Troops During Joint Military Drill; Watch Video

‘Ex #HandInHand2018 will strengthen our ability to operate jointly, learn from each other’.
Commanding Officer, 11 SIKHLI #IndianArmy #Synergy#Interoperability #UnitedNations pic.twitter.com/nfDg6g2Ij8

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) December 15, 2018

The opening ceremony of the exercise was held on December 11. The exercise will consist of a balance of indoor classes and outdoor training activities. The seventh edition of the military is being conducted after a gap of one year. The last edition of ‘Hand-in-Hand’ took place in 2016. The drill was not held in 2017 due to the Doklam stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops In Bhutan. This year, more than 100 personnel from both the armies are participating in the exercise. The exercise will also involve tactical level operations in an international counter insurgency/ counter terrorism environment under UN mandate.