BEIJING – India has accused China of trying to “unilaterally change the status quo” on their disputed Himalayan border last week, when clashes left troops on both sides injured.
China said the situation was “stable” on Tuesday.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed in Parliament that Indian and Chinese troops clashed on Dec 9 in the north-eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China’s south and is also claimed by Beijing.
Indian media reports quoted unnamed sources as saying that the incident involved around 300 members of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and that China suffered a greater number of injuries – claims Beijing has not commented on.
Mr Singh said Indian troops suffered no fatality or serious injuries.
The scuffle was the first between China and India since deadly clashes in June 2020, when 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers died in hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh, abutting the Chinese-held Tibetan plateau.
“PLA troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo by encroaching on the Line of Actual Control, in the Yangtse area of Tawang sector,” Mr Singh said.
“Our army faced this attempt of China with firmness. A scuffle ensued in this face-off,” he added. “The Indian army bravely prevented the PLA from encroaching on our territory, and forced them to withdraw to their posts. Some soldiers from both sides were injured in the skirmish.”
Mr Singh said the Indian commander in the area held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on Sunday to discuss the incident.
“The Chinese side was asked to refrain from such actions and maintain peace and tranquillity along the border. The issue has also been taken up with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels,” he said.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not comment on the alleged clash on Tuesday, telling reporters “as far as we understand, the China-India border situation is stable overall”.
“Both sides have throughout maintained unobstructed dialogue on the border issue through diplomatic and military channels. It is hoped that the Indian side will advance in the same direction as China,” he added.
Beijing urged New Delhi to “earnestly implement the important consensus reached by both leaders, strictly abide by the spirit of the agreements and accords signed by both sides, together uphold the peace and tranquillity of the China-India border region”.
The un-demarcated 3,800km frontier between India and China has stayed largely peaceful since a war in 1962, before the clashes two years ago sent relations nose-diving.
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told Parliament last week, before the latest clash, that relations with China could not go back to normal without peace on the border. AFP, REUTERS
