Beijing: For the first time since the deadly clash between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15, Chinese Army admitted that one of its commanding officers was killed in the conflict. According to reports, China’s admission came during the military-level talks between the two countries to diffuse the border tension.
China has been tight-lipped about the number of casualties on its side even as the Indian Army confirmed that it had lost 20 soldiers during the face-off. On Sunday, a section of Indian media reported that the Indian Army had handed over bodies of 16 soldiers to the People Liberation Army (PLA).
The Global Times, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party regime, has maintained that Beijing chose to withhold the casualty numbers since it did not want further escalation of the tension between the two countries.
On Monday, the paper published an article in which it said: "They (Chinese experts) do not want to put more pressure on the government to further provoke China, and the reason why China did not release the number is that China also wants to avoid an escalation, because if China's casualties number less than 20, the Indian government would again come under pressure."
Earlier, Union minister and former Army chief Gen. V.K. Singh had claimed that more than 40 PLA soldiers were killed in the clash that triggered the worst bout of tension between the two nations in over 50 years. Referring to this, the Global Times accused Indian officials of placating nationalists by "making speculations on China's casualties to satisfy Indian hardliners”.
On Sunday, India changed the decades-old rule of engagement along the LAC and allowed the ground commanders of the Army to use firearms in "rare" cases, in a departure from the previous understanding between the two militaries to not resort to gun power in face-offs.
A large number of Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation in Galwan Valley and certain other areas of eastern Ladakh for the last five weeks.
The Indian and Chinese armies are engaged in the standoff in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh.
A sizeable number of Chinese Army personnel even transgressed into the Indian side of the de-facto border in several areas including Pangong Tso.
The Indian Army has been fiercely objecting to the Chinese transgressions, and demanded their immediate withdrawal for restoration of peace and tranquility in the area.
Both sides held a series of talks in the last few days to resolve the row. On Saturday, Gen Naravane said both sides are "disengaging" in a phased manner.
Following the standoff in eastern Ladakh, the two sides have deployed additional troops along the LAC, the de-facto Sino-India border, in North Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh in the last few days.
|