The last "Hand in Hand" exercise was held in Pune in India in November 2016. Photo from South China Morning Post



By Kristin Huang





China and India will launch a two-week joint military drill on Tuesday, the first exercise of its kind since the two Asian giants were locked in a tense border stand-off in the Himalayas 18 months ago.



Analysts said the drill could help rebuild trust between the two countries' militaries, but would not erase mutual suspicions.



Dubbed "Hand in Hand", the exercise will take place in Chengdu, Sichuan province, neighbouring Tibet, where the two countries have had competing border interests for decades.



The exercise has been held each year since 2013 but was called off last year in the aftermath of the two-month-long stand-off.



It is designed to build trust between the armed forces and bolster joint efforts against terrorism, and follows a warming in India-China relations.





In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Saturday, April 28, 2018. Yonhap