-Reports of detained Chinese soldiers are Indian media hype, says Chinese Military
BEIJING: Recent reports by Indian media that Chinese soldiers have been detained for “crossing the borderline” are purely fabricated, a Chinese military source has said cited by China Daily.
The source said Chinese border troops conducted a routine patrol on Sept 28 in the Dongzhang area on the Chinese side of the Sino-Indian border and encountered “unreasonable obstruction” from the Indian military.
The Chinese officers and soldiers took countermeasures resolutely and returned after the patrol mission was completed.
The source said the Dongzhang area is China’s inherent territory and it is entirely reasonable and legal for Chinese border troops to organize patrols on their own territory. Reports that Chinese soldiers were detained were entirely fabricated and hyped by Indian media.
This incident is a deliberate provocation and a distortion and smear campaign by the Indian side, which is a serious violation of the bilateral agreement. “The responsibility rests entirely with the Indian side,” the source said.
The Indian side should earnestly comply with bilateral agreements, strictly control and restrain its front-line troops, and work with the Chinese military to maintain peace and stability in the border area, the source added.
Earlier, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said he was aware of ‘relevant information’ after reports in Indian media claimed Chinese soldiers had been detained following an altercation with Indian troops in Arunachal Pradesh last week.
The Chinese side said Arunachal Pradesh was part of southern Tibet opposing New Delhi’s claim that the northeastern state was an integral part of India.
China and India are locked in an ongoing 17-month long military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, which has plunged Sino-India bilateral ties to the lowest level in decades. Several rounds of diplomatic and military dialogues have failed to resolve the dragging impasse between the two militaries. The next round of military talks between the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Indian Army is likely to take place on October 12.
Indian and Chinese militaries have been on a standoff in several areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh for over 17 months. Both sides had disengaged from a number of friction points this year following a series of talks; however military analysts believe that keeping in view India’s hegemonistic designs, it won’t be long before they get “another beating by the Chinese”.
Earlier in June 2020 at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese forces in a disputed Himalayan border area, Indian officials say. The BBC had said the incident followed rising tensions and was the first deadly clash in the border area in at least 45 years.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
