The soldiers of India and China exchanged sweets at several border areas on the occasion of Diwali, news agency PTI reported on Thursday. The gesture comes day after both the countries completed the process of disengagement at two friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The traditional practice was observed at five Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) points along the LAC, the report said.

This also set stage for resumption of patrolling in the Depsang Plains and Demchok areas of eastern Ladakh, the troops of both sides completed the disengagement on Wednesday.

After disengagement patrolling resumes at Depsang, Demchok along LAC:

The troops of both India and China restarted patrolling at two friction points in Demchok and Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh along the LAC after the disengagement process was completed, reports said.

The move is seen as a significant step towards reducing tension in the region and was followed by an agreement formalised between Beijing and New Delhi to end the over four-year standoff that began with the deadly Galwan clashes in 2020.

Earlier, the verification of the process was underway and being done physically as well as with unmanned aerial vehicles. The disengagement involves removal of temporary structures.

India-China tensions since Galwan valley clash:

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.

Following this, the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had cut off Indian access to patrolling points (PPs) 10 to 13 in the Depsang Plains. In the Demchok area, Chinese troops had been squatting at the Charding Nullah.

On October 21 this year, India and China reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements. The announcement on the agreement was made by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in New Delhi, setting the stage for a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, capital of Tatarstan in Russia’s southwest.

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

This agreement holds significance because the Chinese side, until a year ago, showed reluctance to even discuss Depsang Plains and Demchok while it agreed on disengagement at other friction points – PP 14 (Galwan valley), PP 15 (Hot Springs), PP 17A (Gogra), north and south banks of Pangong Tso.

Disengagement process in certain areas ‘almost complete’: Rajnath Singh

Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh said that based on consensus achieved between India and China, the disengagement process in certain areas along the LAC was “almost complete”.