Local commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies in eastern Ladakh will exchange sweets on Diwali on Thursday in what is being seen as the biggest confidence-building measure since the military face-off between the two sides along the Line of Actual Control began four years ago.

Sources in the Indian Army said the exchange of sweets would also mark the completion of the disengagement from two transgression points — the Depsang Plains and Demchock — by the two sides.

Asked about the planned exchange of sweets between the two sides on Diwali, a source said this was a “big win” from both military and diplomatic perspectives. It was, however, immediately not known at which places this gesture would take place.

India and China have been eyeball to eyeball since the Chinese transgression at multiple locations, including the Depsang Plains and Demchock in eastern Ladakh, in May 2020.

“Besides, the process of physical verification of the Chinese pullout has also been completed now,” an army official said, adding that the patrolling modules would be decided by brigadier-level commanders of the two sides.

“The resumption of patrolling by the Indian troops in the strategically located Depsang is very significant and the key part of the latest agreement reached between the two sides,” a defence ministry official said.

Chinese ambassador to India Xu Feihong, who attended an event in Calcutta, said in response to a question on the troops’ disengagement: “I hope that under the guidance of this consensus, relations will be moving forward smoothly in the future and not be restricted and interrupted by specific disagreements between the two sides.”

“The most important thing is how to handle the differences,” he said.

The Chinese army, which is believed to be entrenched 18km inside India-claimed lines, has blocked access to Patrol Points (PPs) 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13 since May 2020.

The Depsang Plains — a 972sqkm plateau situated 16,000ft above sea level — lie to the west of Aksai Chin, which is under illegal occupation by China, and have the Siachen Glacier on their northwestern edge.

The physical verification using drones was done to check whether the Chinese troops have dismantled structures like watch-towers and tents at the two points according to the agreement signed between the two nations last week.

According to the latest agreement, the landforms in Depsang and Demchock will be restored to the pre-standoff period (April 2020) and both armies will also pull back their military equipment to rear locations within their side of the LAC.

The two sides have also agreed to cease forward deployments at the two points in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, which means the return of the troops of both sides to their respective areas.

Military veterans have, however, cautioned the Indian government to approach the latest agreement with China on patrolling with caution and flagged the trust deficit with the neighbour as the Chinese are known for backtracking on their word.

Previously, the two sides had completed “partial” disengagement from four other transgression points, including the Galwan Valley, by creating demilitarised “buffer zones” with the Chinese stepping back a few kilometres while remaining within India-claimed lines.