INDIAN and Chinese troops have completed disengagement at two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains in eastern Ladakh and patrolling is set to commence soon at these points, Army sources said on Wednesday. Exchange of sweets between the two sides will take place on Diwali, they said. Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong, who attended an event in Kolkata, in response to a question on the troops disengagement said, “I hope that under the guidance of this consensus, relations will be moving forward smoothly in the future and not be restricted and interrupted by specific disagreements between the two sides.” “The most important thing is how to handle the differences,” he said.

 

The process follows the agreement firmed up between the two countries on patrolling and disengagement of troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, a major breakthrough to end the over four-year stand-off. The move marks a significant development in the pursuit of reduced tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh since the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. The ties between the two Asian giants had nosedived following the clash. The Indian and Chinese troops have completed disengagement at the two friction points and patrolling will commence soon at these points, an Army source said. The verification process post-disengagement is in progress and patrolling modalities are to be decided between ground commanders, they said.

 

“Talks will continue at the local commander level,” the Army source added. On October 25, sources here said the process was likely to get completed by October 28-29. Asked about the planned exchange of sweets between the two sides on Diwali, a source said this was a “big win” from both military and diplomatic perspectives. It was, however, immediately not known at which places this confectionery exchange would happen. As a traditional practice, Indian and Chinese troops have in the past exchanged sweets and greetings at several border posts along the LAC, including in eastern Ladakh, to mark festivals and other important occasions. Sources earlier had said the areas and patrolling status were expected to be moved back to pre-April 2020 level. Patrolling would begin at these points once the disengagement that began last week is completed and both sides will move their respective troops and dismantle temporary structures, they had said. The patrolling will be done by armed personnel and structures to be dismantled include temporary sheds and tents, the sources had added.

 

The agreement framework was signed first at the diplomatic level and then military-level talks took place, they had said, adding the nitty-gritty of the agreement was worked on during the Corps Commander-level talks which was signed last week. Adhering to agreements between the two sides, Indian troops then began to pull back equipment to rear locations in these areas. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on October 21 said in Delhi that the agreement was finalised following negotiations over the past several weeks and that it would lead to a resolution of the issues that arose in 2020. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 23 endorsed the India-China agreement on patrolling and disengagement along the LAC in eastern Ladakh and issued direction to revive various bilateral dialogue mechanisms, signalling attempts to normalise ties that were hit by the 2020 military clash. In the nearly 50-minute meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Modi underscored the importance of properly handling differences and disputes and not allowing them to disturb peace and tranquillity in border areas and that mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity should remain the basis of the relations. In their first structured talks in nearly five years, Modi and Xi had also instructed the revival of the stalled Special Representatives’ dialogue mechanism on the boundary question at an early date, holding that it can play a critical role in the maintenance of peace and tranquillity along the frontier.