NEW DELHI: Covid-19 seems to have derailed the customary border personnel meeting (BPM) between the Indian and Chinese armies along the line of actual control on the International Labour Day every year.“The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) hosts our soldiers at five BPM points along the LAC on May 1 every year. But there has been no invite by the PLA this time probably due to the coronavirus pandemic. We will wish them over the hotline between local commanders,” said an Army officer on Thursday.The BPMs are held on several occasions every year at Daulat Beg Oldi and Chushul (Ladakh), Bum La and Kibithu (Arunachal) and Nathu La ( Sikkim ) as a confidence-building measure between the two armies ranged against each other along the LAC.The BPMs also serve as an important platform for resolving issues like troop face-offs and confrontations at the local level on the border at the local, apart from promoting mutual trust and confidence amongst the rival troops.“We also host PLA soldiers on ceremonial occasions like Republic Day and Diwali, while they reciprocate on Labour Day (May 1) and Chinese National Day (October 1). The interactions are followed by a cultural programme portraying the rich cultural diversity of the two countries,” said the officer.India and China, after the major 73-day face-off at Doklam near the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction in 2017, have worked toward reducing troop confrontations along the LAC with better implementation of CBMs and greater interaction between local commanders on the ground.