Indian Army, PLA hold first Border Personnel Meeting at Kibithu

A Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) between the Indian Army and the Peoples Liberation Army of China was held here on Thursday to strengthen military and border security ties.

Chinese troops joined Indian Army troops for joint celebrations of Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Joint celebration of important events by troops of both countries forms part of Border Defence and Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) signed on this day a year ago at Beijing, Indian Army sources told ANI.

The Indian delegation, led by Brigadier Virendra Vats and the Chinese side,led by senior Colonel Hu Xiao Bai, exchanged views on issues of mutual interest followed by a cultural programme comprising folk dances by various tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and a friendly Volleyball match.

The meeting was held in an extremely friendly atmosphere and both sides reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility along the LAC.

The meeting marked formalization of Kibithu (Wacha) as an additional point for BPM and flag meetings in Arunachal Pradesh. Similar meetings are also being conducted at Nathu La in Sikkim and Bum La in Tawang, the sources added.

As the BPM mechanism provides for regular consultations and interactions between the two armies, Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand)-Qiang is also under consideration.

BPM points along the LAC facilitates greater engagement between Indian Army and PLA which helps develop mutual understanding and cooperation between border troops.

These meetings are also helpful in resolving local issues related to help maintain peace and tranquility along the LAC.

This was the outcome of the 6th India-China annual defence dialogue, co-chaired by defence secretary R K Mathur and PLA deputy chief Lt-Gen Wang Guanzhong held at New Delhi February 25 last when it was agreed to "strengthen maritime security cooperation between the navies", step up exchanges of officers and cooperate in areas like peace-keeping, counter-terrorism and humanitarian disaster relief.

With political settlement of the border dispute remaining elusive despite 18 rounds of talks between special representatives, India and China are now slowly but steadily stepping up military engagement at "multiple levels" to "manage" confrontations along the 3,488-LAC.

In fact, amidst a verbal duel between both the Asian giants on the proposed construction of a road along the McMahon line in Arunachal Pradesh, delegations of the two countries concluded a two-day talks under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), in New Delhi on October 25 last.

The talks aimed at finding ways to avoid stand-offs like the one in Chumar, Ladakh last month. The face-off had lasted for more than 15 days after the Chinese army patrol came into India when Chinese President Xi Jinping was visiting India.

The Chinese incursion had overshadowed the talks between Jinping and Modi when the latter had raised "serious concerns" over the repeated incidents along the border and sought an early settlement of the boundary imbroglio.