Indian, Chinese armies hold border meet at Kibithu

Kohima (Nagaland), Aug 16, 2018:

Delegations of Indian and Chinese armies met at Kibithu on the Indian side of Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday to jointly celebrate India’s 72^nd Independence Day.

According to a statement issued by a defence spokesperson, the meeting was part of the ongoing confidence-building measures between India and China, besides increasing contact between their two armies.

While the Indian side was led by a Brigadier of Dao Division, the Chinese were led by Senior Colonel Liwen Jian.

The Kibithu-Damai Border Meeting mechanism was started as a confidence-building measure to resolve local boundary issues and has been instrumental in maintaining peace and tranquility along the LAC since 2014, the spokesperson added.

Welcoming the Chinese delegation, the Indian side expressed the hope that coming together of troops from both sides will facilitate development of mutual cooperation. The Indian side also presented a cultural programme in honour of the Chinese delegation.

Both sides agreed that joint celebrations signified the importance attached by the two countries to enhance trust and cooperation and hoped that such interactions would continue to foster the environment of mutual confidence and understanding, the statement added.