India and China are in the process of finalising the modalities of their first military joint exercise since 2008 during the ongoing visit of Defence Minister A.K. Antony to Beijing. Both sides have decided to hold a joint exercise in China in October 2013. Both sides have also agreed that the navies and air forces of both countries will also undertake enhanced professional exchanges. In discussions with his counterpart General Chang Wanquan in Beijing, Antony also brought up a new border cooperation agreement designed specifically to avoid the sort of tensions that sprung up following the incursion by Chinese troops into Indian territory earlier this year.

In a statement, the Indian MoD said, "Premier Li Keqiang and the Defence Minister conveyed that the new leadership in China attaches great importance to developing friendly and cooperative relations with India. Antony conveyed that India reciprocates the sentiment and looks forward to building the relationship further on a foundation of mutual trust and confidence and based on mutual respect for each other’s concerns. In the discussions between the two Defence Ministers, measures to promote mutual trust and confidence building between the armed forces were discussed. It was agreed that ‘strategic communication’ is required for building trust and understanding."