China, India to hold joint anti-terrorism training

China and India will launch joint anti-terrorism training between the two armies within 2013 in southwest China, a Chinese defence ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

The training, set in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, has been arranged in accordance with the two armies’ annual military exchange plan, Xinhua reported citing Yang Yujun, ministry of national defence spokesman.

The joint training is aimed at increasing mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation and preserving regional peace and stability, Yang said.

Experts from both sides had two rounds of consultations on the date, assignment and scale of the forces to be involved in the training, he said.

“The two defence ministries are keeping in touch on details of the training,” Yang said.

Yang also slammed comments that attempted to provoke tensions between China and India, saying: “It is groundless and shows a lack of goodwill to use weapons equipment as a pretext to drive a wedge between China and India.”

His remarks were in response to comments alleging India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier obviously targets China and ignites the fiercest arms race the world has ever seen in Asia.

“China and India are partners and close neighbours. Getting along well with each other and achieving co-development is in the fundamental interests of the two peoples,” the spokesman said.

-IANS