The bonhomie along the line of Actual Control (loAC) with China took a pleasant turn on Saturday as Chinese People’s liberation Army (PlA) hosted separate banquets for the Indian Army at Chishul and Daulat Beig Oldie (DBO) to mark its rising day.
This is for the first time since April, 2013 when the two armies came face-to-face for around three weeks following Chinese incursion in the DBO area. The dispute has been neutralised ever since and the armies hold their designated positions.
Defence spokesman SD Goswami said that the occasion was marked by ceremonial Border Personnel meeting (BPM) at Chushul in eastern ladakh while an Indian army delegation was hosted at DBO “for the first time”.
The Chushul and DBO delegation were led by Brig JKS Virk and Col BS Uppal respectively. The Chinese PlA officers Senior Col Chen Zheng Shan and Col Song Zhoanli were the hosts at the two sensitive intersections.
“The day marked a milestone in India-China ties at the border-troops level as the PlA hosted an Indian Army delegation for the first time in the area of Daulat Beg Oldie”, Goswami said.
“The BPM on the occasion of PlA Day is organised every year by Chinese troops with great enthusiasm. The occasion was marked bysalutations to the Chinese flag and was followed by ceremonial addresses by the leaders of the two delegations”, the spokesman said.
The proceedings reflected the mutual desire of maintaining and improving relations at a functional level at the border,” he said. A cultural programme showcasing Chinese culture and tradition was also organised to mark the occasion. He said that both the delegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment. “The delegation parted amidst a feeling of friendship and commitment towards enhancing the existing cordial relations and maintaining peace along the lAC,” he said.
The DBO region, a historic spot on famed Silk Route, was in news following Chinese incursion in April 2013 when PlA occupied some pickets in the region. The pickets were evacuated after a 21-day stand-off.
Sources said that the region is calm, especially after Prime Minister Naredra Modi’s Chinese visit earlier this year.