Diwali Cheer On The LAC: Indian, Chinese Troops Exchange Sweets After Border Disengagement

After the completion of disengagement at two friction points in Ladakh, the Indian and Chinese troops on Thursday (31 October) exchanged Diwali sweets on five locations along the Line of Actual Control, including two in Ladakh.

The gesture followed the completion of military disengagement on Wednesday from the Depsang and Demchok regions in Ladakh in line with last week's patrolling agreement.

The sweet exchange took place at Chushul Maldo and Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh, Banchha (near Kibutu) and Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh, and Nathula in Sikkim.

Under the patrolling agreement, both nations agreed to pull back military personnel and dismantle temporary structures from the Depsang plains and Demchok areas, aiming to revert to positions held before April 2020.

The verification of the disengagement process was underway and being done physically as well as with unmanned aerial vehicles.

The buildup of troops and the standoff along the LAC followed detection of Chinese incursions in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan valley in May 2020 and sent bilateral ties south.

The troop buildup and ensuing standoff along the LAC began after Chinese incursions were detected in the Galwan Valley, eastern Ladakh, in May 2020. A deadly clash in June 2020 in Galwan valley in which 20 Indian soldiers and unknown number of Chinese troops were killed further strained bilateral relations.

An agreement regarding patrolling arrangements was reached between India and China on 21 October.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced the agreement in New Delhi, paving the way for a discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during the upcoming BRICS Summit in Kazan, Tatarstan, in Russia.

Four days later, Beijing acknowledged the agreement, stating, “Chinese and Indian frontier troops are engaged in relevant work, which is going smoothly at the moment.”

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