The president addressed the troops from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) headquarters on the border defence situation in Khunjerab under the Xinjiang Military Command, official media here reported on Friday.
During the call, Xi explained how “in recent years, the area has been constantly changing" and how it had impacted the Army.
When he asked them about their combat readiness, one of the soldiers replied that they were now carrying out “dynamic" and “24-hour" monitoring of the border. Xi had also asked the border troops “about their border patrol and management work"
The president also enquired about their living condition and whether they were able to “receive fresh vegetables" in the inhospitable terrain. He also “hailed the soldiers as models of border defence and encouraged them to persist in their efforts and make new contributions."
Eastern Ladakh is the region where a standoff erupted on May 5, 2020 between India and China following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.
The two sides have held 17 rounds of high-level military talks on the eastern Ladakh border standoff but there was no significant forward movement in resolution of the remaining issues.
India has asserted that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are essential for overall developent of bilateral relationship with China.
(With inputs from PTI)
