China India clashes: Beijing boldly claims disputed Galwan Valley
China said the Galwan Valley high up in Himalayan border region where Chinese and Indian troops engaged in a deadly brawl this week falls entirely within China, boldly laying claim to the disputed area as the Asian giants continued using military and diplomatic channels to reduce tensions.
The confrontation in the Galwan Valley, part of the disputed Ladakh region along the Himalayan frontier, was the deadliest in 45 years. India blames China for instigating the fight by developing infrastructure in the valley, which it said was a breach of the agreement of what area remained in dispute.
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a statement Friday that “the Galwan Valley is located on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in the west section of the China-India boundary.”
A step-by-step account of the Galwan clash
— Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) June 20, 2020
1. The Galwan Valley is located on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in the west section of the China-India boundary. For many years, the Chinese border troops have been patrolling and on duty in this region.
He blamed incursions by Indian troops in the area from early May for a midnight clash on Monday that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. China has not said whether its side suffered any casualties.
8. India’s front-line troops even violently attacked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went there for negotiation, thus triggering fierce physical conflicts and causing casualties. This is the step-by-step account of the Galwan clash.
— Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) June 20, 2020
Soldiers brawled with clubs, rocks and their fists in the thin air at 4,270 meters (14,000 feet) above sea level, but no shots were fired, Indian officials have said. The soldiers carry firearms but are not allowed to use them under a previous agreement in the border dispute.
Read more: China, India agree to de-escalate border situation following clashes
Sep Ankush Thakur, the #Braveheart who sacrificed his life for the #Nation at #GalwanValley was laid to rest with full #Military honours at his native village Karhota #Hamirpur #Himachal Pradesh.#IndianArmy #NationFirst pic.twitter.com/onFdvliq1n
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) June 20, 2020
Indian security officials have said the fatalities were caused by severe injuries and exposure to subfreezing temperatures.
The valley falls within a remote stretch of the 3,380-kilometer (2,100-mile) Line of Actual Control - the border established following a war between India and China in 1962 that resulted in an uneasy truce.
Read more:
No border intrusion in deadly clash with China, says Indian PM Modi
China, India agree to de-escalate border situation following clashes
India-China: At least 20 Indian soldiers killed, US hopes for ‘peaceful resolution’
Modi 'hurt and angry'
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Anurag Srivastava declined to comment on China’s claim to the valley. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a meeting with political opposition leaders on Friday that “neither anyone has intruded into our territory, nor took over any post.”
Tributes to the martyrs who lost their lives protecting our nation in Eastern Ladakh. Their supreme sacrifice will never be forgotten.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 17, 2020
India is proud of the valour of our armed forces. They have always shown remarkable courage and steadfastly protected India’s sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/43dqBCaX1Z
Modi said India was “hurt and angry” about the deaths of its troops. He said India wanted peace and friendship, but had the “capability that no one can even dare look towards an inch of our land.”
Also on Friday, Zhao said that China was not holding any Indian soldiers, without addressing media reports that China released 10 of them late Thursday.
“My information is that at present there are no Indian personnel detained on the Chinese side,” Zhao said, according to an English version of his daily briefing posted on the ministry website.
Indian officials have denied that any soldiers were in Chinese custody.
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