'Chinese troops incursion ended with chocolate diplomacy'

An incursion by Chinese troops into Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh on June 9 led to a minor scuffles and some tension before before matters were resolved and the Chinese offered chocolates as a gesture of peace, said defence sources.

According to sources, around 250 Chinese troops transgressed to the Indian side in the Yangtse sector, approximately 650 metres east of Shankar Tiki, an area where Indian soldiers are stationed in a sizable number.

The showdown continued for a couple of hours, and heated exchanges took place between the two side.

However, later, four officers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) met commanding officers of the Indian personnel at the Line of Actual Control to resolve the matter. They also gifted packets of chocolates to their Indian counterparts.

According to Army sources, this was the first incident of transgression in the Yangtse sector this year.

India has maintained that the transgressions along the India-China border are due to different perceptions of boundaries.A

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also visited China in April, where border settlement was among the issues discussed by both sides.

--IANS

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