Fresh bonhomie between India, China armies as soldiers, kin attend event on Chinese side of de-facto border

Leh: In a new found bonhomie, Indian Army men and some of their families and kids on Tuesday attended a function organised by their Chinese counterparts at Chusul-Moldo meeting point on the other side of the de facto border between the two countries in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. The ceremonious special border personnel meeting was a part of confidence building measures the two sides committed to after an informal summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week in Wuhan to reset the bilateral relationship. [caption id=“attachment_4074493” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] Sources said the celebrations were held on the occasion of International Labour Day during which both the armies reaffirmed their commitment to maintain peace along the Line of Actual Control that divides the Ladakh region between the two countries. “Troops and families of both armies were part of of the celebrations which were conducted in an atmosphere of bonhomie and friendship,” an official said. Special cultural programmes were also organised by the two armies. The official said the two armies also exchanged gifts at Wacha border post in Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh. “Such meetings indicate the upward trend of relations between the two great nations and building of trust between the two armies deployed on the border.” The official said during the meeting the two sides discussed ways to bring down tension along the disputed borders. The bonhomie at the border comes days after Prime Minister Modi and President Xi last week in Wuhan decided to issue “strategic guidance” to their militaries to strengthen communication and build trust and understanding between the border guarding forces of the two countries. The ties between the two countries had soured after a military stand-off that lasted for more than a month between the two armies at Doka La in Sikkim last year.