India-China's third military exercise from November 4

 India and China will have their third bilateral army exercise between November 4 and 14 in Chengdu military region in China. Resumed after five years, India will send its troops from Sikh Light Infantry battalion for the company-level exercise focussing on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations, sources said. The exercise would take close on the heels of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to China in the fourth week of October.

The counter-insurgency exercise involving 80-100 men in uniform from both sides took place in 2007 and 2008 after which it came to a halt as Beijing refused to give visa to Lt Gen B S Jaswal, then commander-in-chief of Northern Command arguing Kashmir was a disputed territory.

Two years later New Delhi and Beijing agreed to revive the exercise in 2011. The 2008 exercise held at Belgaum involved troops from 1st Company of Infantry Battalion of Chengdu Military Area Command and the Indian troops from 8 Maratha Light Infantry battalion.

The joint army exercise is one of the gesture, agreed by the two countries to improve bilateral military relations, notwithstanding the allegations of People Liberation Army troops transgressing the Line of Actual Control or the de-facto border between the two nations.

During Defence Minister A K Antony's visit to China in May, New Delhi and Beijing agreed to increase exchanges between the Army, Navy and Air Force of the two nations.