A border personnel meeting between senior military officials of India and China on the latter’s National Day was held “with a lot of warmth” at Nathula Pass on October 1, according to an Indian Army officer.
The meeting took place days before the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India. Mr. Jinping will visit Mamallapuram near Chennai in the second week this month for a second informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to work out a roadmap for the bilateral ties for the next five years.
Nathula Garrison Commander A.S. Dadwal led the delegation of the Indian Army officers to the Chinese side of the border at Nathula pass around 10 a.m. The meeting ended around 1.30 p.m., a senior Army official said.
“Senior Colonel Yuan was leading the Chinese delegation at the BPM [border personnel meeting]. First, there was an informal interaction over two rounds of tea,” the official said, adding then there was a round-table discussion where the Indian delegation’s leader wished his Chinese counterpart on their National Day.
“The meeting was held with a lot of warmth. I have attended many BPMs. But a lot of warmth was shown this time with small gestures,” the official said.
After the interaction, there was a cultural programme for around 45 minutes.
Troops of India and China were locked in the 73-day standoff in Doklam, just 56 km from the Nathula Pass in 2017 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. Bhutan and China have a dispute over Doklam.
Besides Nathula Pass, India and China on October 1 held border personnel meetings at four other places, including Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh and Chishul in Ladakh.
