In a first, Indian and Chinese Militaries take unprecedented step in their history
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NEW DELHI - The Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) are for the first time coordinating patrolling of Fish-Tail II, one of the 13 disputed areas along the Line of Actual Control link (LAC) in the eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, reports *Hindustan Times*.
This unprecedented initiative by India and China is aimed at building mutual confidence and maintaining peace along the LAC, a senior security official underscored, speaking on condition of anonymity, Sputnik has reported.
According to a second senior official, “coordinated patrolling” would mean the sides would inform one another about outgoing foot patrols, areas likely to be visited, and the duration of the patrols.
“One of the key takeaways of the 2018 Wuhan summit, which followed the 73-day-long standoff between the Chinese People’s Army and the Indian Army at Doklam, was to give strategic guidance to both armies to reduce border tensions. The coordinated patrolling is a step in that direction,” a senior ministry of defence official said.
The proposal to carry out “coordinated patrolling” was put forward by India at a high-level meeting between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in June in the run-up to the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping link in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, on 11-12 October.
The military officials of the two sides met in Arunachal’s Kibuthu, one of the seven designated border personnel meeting points, with India represented by the commander of the Dinjang (Assam)-based 2 Mountain Division of the III Corps of the Indian Army.
The Line of Actual Control is a loosely-demarcated boundary between the two Asian giants stretching from Kashmir in the west to the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the east.
Fish Tail-I and II are among the most remote areas along the LAC, located in the easternmost corner of Arunachal Pradesh; Fish Tail -I 's largely glaciated terrain sees few patrols on either side.
