A brief article at the very bottom of the front page of the PLA Daily last week announced that about 200 soldiers from China and India would hold joint anti-terrorism exercises in Kunming from December 19 to 27. This exercise is designed to build mutual trust between the armed forces and inform each side about the other's mettle.
Yet considerable distrust remains between China and India, not only along their militarised border but extending into the larger region as well. With rapid economic development and growing concerns about energy security, their competition is intensifying for political and economic influence in Southeast Asia.
Despite incremental efforts, deep distrust can still be seen between the two militaries, evidenced by the slow pace of collaboration. Joint naval exercises involving a few ships from each side took place in 2003, 2005 and this year.
In 2004, a handful of Indian soldiers practised mountaineering with their Chinese counterparts in Pulang county, Tibet . A defence co-operation agreement was signed in May last year, paving the way for more substantive exchanges.
However, military co-operation remains diplomatically sensitive, as shown by regular Indian announcements of Chinese border incursions and the slow pace and small scale of joint drills. The exercises taking place this week were delayed for over two months before an agreement was finally reached.
The Sino-Indian relationship is complex: leaders on both sides balance contentious bilateral issues with their respective geostrategic objectives. The so-far intractable impediments include an unresolved border, India's relationship with the Dalai Lama and China's support for Pakistan.
Farther afield, both China and India harbour suspicions that the other might align with third parties - the United States or Russia - to encircle or contain it. For both sides, the most critical battleground - in preventing encirclement and ensuring access to energy and global markets - is Southeast Asia.
