Indian, Chinese soldiers exchange sweets along LAC

Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged sweets on Diwali as a goodwill gesture along the LAC, marking improved relations after recent disengagements.

Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged sweets on Diwali as a goodwill gesture along the line of actual control (LAC) that stretches from Ladakh to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, officials said on Tuesday.

The exchange of sweets on festivals and other important national days came to a halt for a few years after the India-China border standoff began in April-May 2020. (PTI)

The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried out the ritual last Diwali too after the two sides completed their disengagement from Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh, then the last two flashpoints along the LAC, the officials added.

“China and India troops exchanged sweets at LAC on Diwali, marking a gesture of goodwill between the two sides,” spokesperson of Chinese embassy in Delhi Yu Jing wrote on X on Tuesday.

The exchange of sweets on festivals and other important national days came to a halt for a few years after the India-China border standoff began in April-May 2020.

The Indian Army resumed its patrolling activity in Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh last year after a gap of more than four years. This restored the ground situation in the two forward areas to what it was pre-April 2020 before the India-China military standoff began.

In its 2024 year-end review, the defence ministry said the “overall situation” along LAC with China is “stable but sensitive.”

In June, India pushed for a permanent solution of border demarcation with China and underlined the need to solve complex issues through a structured road map of engagement and de-escalation, during talks between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun.