From weapons displays to anti-terrorism drills, from tug of war
to basketball matches, from kung fu to yoga, from "xiexie" to
"shaabaash," the Chinese and Indian armies are cautiously getting
closer, hoping to learn more about each other.
This has been the first-ever joint anti-terrorism military
training for the two armies since 1962, when the two Asian giants
experienced a brief border conflict.
"Hand-in-Hand 2007," as the joint training is called, involves
103 ground troops from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)
and an equivalent number from the Indian Army.
It is being held since Dec. 19 at the PLA's Kunming Military
Academy, located in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan
Province, which borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
Although some military and diplomatic observers said that the
joint training is more symbolic than substantial, many acknowledged
that the point is not the scale of the joint training or what
specific anti-terrorism skills are involved. The point is that the
soldiers on both sides are moving toward each other in a friendly
way.??
Living together, eating together, training together
When the young soldiers of both armies sit face-to-face, for the
first time, on both sides of four long dining tables in the large
dining hall of the Kunming Military Academy, they seem very stiff
and even shy, avoiding eye contact.
But things change a little when they almost finish their supper
at a welcoming banquet hosted by the Chinese side on the second day
following the arrival of the Indian troops.
Although most of them cannot speak the other group's language,
the smart young men quickly begin to use body language to
communicate, or just say "Cheers!"
Indian soldiers learn to use chopsticks from Chinese soldiers,
while some Chinese soldiers try to use their poor English to
introduce Yunnan's popular scenic spots to their Indian
counterparts. The quiet dining hall is soon filled with laughter
and snaps of digital cameras featuring hand shakes and smiles.
"Now, I know Yunnan is a lovely place with lots of tourist
sites, such as Stone Forest and Three Pagodas," says 22-year-old
Lt. Avinash Singh of the Indian Army.
Aside from eating in the same dining hall, the 206 troops live
side by side on the ground floor of the same three-story building
in the military academy, half to the north of the entrance, half to
the south.
Step by step, the Indian troops learn simple Chinese, such as
"xiexie" (thank you), "nihao" (how are you?) and "jiayou" (cheers).
The Chinese soldiers learn how to say "Good" in Hindi
--"shaabaash." They happily use their new vocabulary to encourage
the soldiers from the other country on the military training
grounds, in addition to watching each other's military drills with
keen interest and applause.
Every morning during the joint training, Indian soldiers learn
kung fu and Chinese soldiers learn yoga from each other. Every
evening, they hold basketball or volleyball matches or play tug of
war.
"They are flexible. They grasp yoga quickly," says Capt.
Tripurari Singh of the Indian Army. "And I like learning kung fu.
I've seen all of Jackie Chan's action movies."
But as young men and soldiers, none of them would like to be
"defeated" on the "battlefield" by the other side in the joint
training. The program includes subjects such as military
psychological training designed to help people get rid of their
fears and foster perseverance, obstacle-crossing in high, cold
mountains, shooting skills, and "room intervention" to fight
terrorists and rescue hostages.
"I will certainly show my best in the joint training and at the
same time, I will learn from the Indian soldiers in a modest
attitude," says Yang Yong, 25, a non-commissioned officer (Class 2)
of the Chinese troops.
"It's easy for me. No problem. I can do that, too, though I
haven't done that before," says Jarid Ahmed whenever he sees
Chinese soldiers accomplish a "mission impossible," like relaying
an explosive that has been ignited, one after another, and throwing
it away quickly before it blows up.
Step by step
"This is another step to deepen our cooperation and
understanding," says Brig. Dadwal of the Indian Army, who is also
commander of the Indian troops for the joint training.
Of the armed forces of China and India, the navies took the lead
in holding the first-ever joint search-and-rescue exercise just
four years ago off the coast of Shanghai, China's commercial
hub.
And on Aug. 28, 2004, Chinese and Indian border troops held a
joint mountaineering exercise in the border area of southwest
China's Tibet Autonomous Region, the first of its kind between the
two armed forces.
On May 29, 2006, the defense ministries of China and India
signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Exchanges and
Cooperation in the Field of Defense, which provides a sound
foundation and institutional framework for further development of
defense cooperation.
The MOU led to the joint training exercise in Kunming as its
"logical outcome," Dadwal says.
In November, meanwhile, China and India held their first Annual
Defense Dialogue in Beijing.
Their bilateral military cooperation also includes attending
training courses at each other's military facilities, high-level
visits of military establishments and allowing observers at
military exercises, according to Wu Xiaoyi, deputy director of the
Asian Affairs Bureau under the Foreign Affairs Office of China's
Defense Ministry.
"The Indian and Chinese troops on the border have been enjoying
good relations, attending ceremonies and festivals and having other
friendly exchanges," he says.
The expanding contacts and exchanges in the military field are
actually being achieved against the backdrop of improving political
and economic relations dating back to the 1990s.
As the two most populous and largest developing countries in the
world, the Asian neighbors shared a long, friendly history until
the 1960s, when they clashed over border issues.
Relations began to improve in 1976, when the two governments
resumed the exchange of ambassadors. But it was not until the 1990s
that political relations got onto a steady track and flourished, as
characterized by frequent high-level visits.
Economic links have been strengthened with the warming political
ties. Bilateral trade reached 24.86 billion U.S. dollars last year,
up 32.9 percent year-on-year. In 1991, the figure was a mere 264
million U.S. dollars. China is now India's second largest trading
partner, while India is China's 10th largest trading partner.
"Military-to-military relationships are an important part of
diplomacy, and I'm certain that this joint training exercise will
go a long way in improving bilateral relations," says Lt. Gen.
Susheel Gupta, deputy chief of the Indian Army Staff and also head
of the Indian military observer delegation to the training in
Kunming.
He was responding to a question about the possible impact of the
joint exercise on a planned China visit by Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh next month, which has yet to be officially
finalized.
Diplomatic observers generally speak positively of the
first-ever joint training between the two armies.
"It is great progress. It demonstrates that the military
mutual-trust has markedly improved, which is beneficial to regional
security," says Ye Hailin, a scholar with the Asia-Pacific Studies
Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Ma Jiali, a research fellow of the Academy of China Contemporary
International Relations, says the military relationship between
China and India is like half a glass of water.
"Optimists will say 'we're lucky to have half a glass of water',
while pessimists will sigh and say 'we have only half a glass'," Ma
says.
"In any case," he adds "the first-ever military training between
the two armies will help boost the bilateral relations of China and
India."
There are border issues yet to be resolved, because the two
sides have different stances and take different approaches to
problems, acknowledges Ma Xiaotian, head of the Chinese military
observer delegation to the joint training in Kunming.
"China insists on solving problems through negotiation, which
requires communication and understanding between the two sides,"
says Ma, who is also PLA General Staff.
The joint exercises will play an active role in enhancing
understanding and trust and deepening defense exchanges and
cooperation, he says.
By the end of the 5-day training, "friend" in Chinese, English
and Hindi has become a popular word between the two armies.
(Xinhua News Agency December 26, 2007)
