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The Indian Army announced in a statement on Monday that Chinese soldiers had invaded the country on their mutual border in the Himalayas, resulting in a violent clash that left, according to some reports, dozens of soldiers injured.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry refused to confirm or deny the incident on Tuesday, stating only that the situation on the countries’ mutual border was “normal” and demanding India respect longtime mutual agreements on where the border lies between them. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not deny, however, that any tensions had flared in the region or any of the specific reports on what happened this weekend.
If confirmed, the latest incident – reportedly occurring in India’s Arunachal Pradesh region – follows years of tensions that appeared, for now, to have climaxed in the gruesome 2020 Galwan Valley incident, in which dozens of Indian and Chinese soldiers died beating each other with sticks, clubs, and other rudimentary weapons.
Shortly following that incident, in September 2020, the Indian military seized a disputed mountaintop around Pangong Tso, a Tibetan lake, and changed its rules of engagement to allow soldiers to bear firearms on the Chinese border. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly issued similar changes to its rules of engagement following the Galwan Valley incident.
In September 2020, both sides reported the first shots fired on the mutual border in 45 years.
The brawl in the Tawang area of Arunachal Pradesh reportedly occurred on Friday and did not involve firearms.
“On 9 December 2022, PLA troops crossed the LAC [Line of Actual Control, the formal name of the China-India border] in the Tawang sector, which was contested by own troops in a firm and resolute manner,” the Indian Army said in a statement on Monday. “This face-off led to minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides.”
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh updated the Indian Parliament on Tuesday, confirming that the incident did occur and emphasizing that no troops are known to have died.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha on India-China Faceoff in Arunachal Pradesh:
-Incident happened on 9th Dec
-No Indian troop died, confirms injury
-11 dec local commanders met
-Matter raised diplomatically pic.
