BEIJING (AP) – The Chinese military said Friday that four of its soldiers were killed in a high-mountain border clash with Indian forces last year, the first time Beijing has publicly admitted its side suffered. victims in the deadliest incident among Asian giants in nearly 45 years.
The announcement, which will come more than six months after the bloody hand-to-hand combat, should help the global public “understand the truth and the good and evil of the incident,” said Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the ministry. of Chinese Foreign Affairs.
However, the delay also seemed to reflect the deep Chinese culture of military secrecy, as well as concerns about the possible national and international consequences of the bloodshed.
Immediately after the June 2020 crash on top of a ridge in the Galwan Valley in the Ladakh region, India announced that it had lost 20 of its soldiers. in a battle that saw fists, clubs, stones and other makeshift weapons used to prevent a shootout.
It was believed that China also had casualties but did not provide any details, saying it did not want to further inflame tensions.
The announcement of losing soldiers came as the two sides ended a gradual setback from one of their original positions after several rounds of negotiations.
Indian and Chinese troops have completed their detachment from the south and north shores of Lake Pangong, an Indian army official said on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to speak to reporters. The withdrawal had begun on the 10th of February.
Commander-level talks are scheduled for Saturday to discuss the withdrawal of other areas, the official said.
The Chinese ad appeared in the army newspaper, the Daily Liberation Army, which said the four murders were named state martyrs.
The title of “Border Defender Hero” was awarded to Battalion Commander Chen Hongjun, while Chen Xiangrong, Xiao Siyuan and Wang Zhuoran received first-class merit awards. He attributed his deaths to “a clash with the rape of foreign military personnel,” without directly mentioning India.
Qi Fabao, a regimental commander who was wounded in the clash, was given the title of “hero regiment commander to defend the border.”
On Friday night, a short video of the two military clashes was shown last June on the dedicated military channel of Chinese state-run CCTV, which included a daytime clash on a river with poles and shields and another at night. Qi showed up among the soldiers shouting and gesturing, with a voice-over saying he insisted that matters be dealt with in accordance with agreed procedures. Chinese troops wore helmets and armor of the type used by riot police and it was later shown that at least one Chinese soldier was being treated in the field for a bloody wound to the head.
Accompanied by dramatic orchestral music and production values, images of the four dead soldiers were displayed superimposed on a background of snow-capped peaks. At the end of the segment, the troops were again shown patrolling and exercising on foot and in tanks, although the exact times and places were not clear.
In the first days after the clash, unconfirmed reports from the Indian media raised the death toll in China to 45. More recently, an Indian security official said on Friday that the military estimated that at least 14 Chinese soldiers were wounded, eight of whom died later.
This assessment was based on the number of bunks used to remove the wounded, the contributions collected from a Chinese attack hospital, and field reports. Another security official offered a similar account, saying at least 12 Chinese soldiers were seriously injured in the incident.
Both spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with government regulations.
Hua, the Chinese spokesman, said that “the Indian side has repeatedly exaggerated and publicized the victims, distorting the truth and misleading international public opinion. Now the PLA Daily has published a report on the incident to reveal the truth.”
The tense confrontation in the Karakoram Mountains began in early May, when Indian and Chinese soldiers ignored each other’s repeated verbal warnings, sparking a shouting match, throwing stones and punching on the north bank of the Karakoram Mountains. Pangong Lake.
By June, friction had spread north to Depsang and the Galwan Valley, where India has built a military road all the time along the disputed border. Both countries stationed tens of thousands of soldiers backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets along the de facto border called the Current Line of Control, or LAC, with troops settling in the harsh winter.
Troops withdrew from the Galwan Valley shortly after the June clashes and have now done so from Pangong Lake. They remain in a clash in Depsang and at least two other places, Gogra and Hot Springs.
Lieutenant General YK Joshi, who commands the Northern Command of the Indian Army, told Indian News18 that China did not appear willing to make concessions until Indian forces occupied command heights. from 29 to 30 August.
“This disengagement is happening because we had taken the dominant position in the Kailash range. So now the purpose has been achieved, we return to the status quo before April 2020,” Joshi told the station .
Each side accused the other of instigating violence, which has drastically changed the India-China relationship.
Responsibility “does not lie with China,” Hua said, adding that China “has exercised great restraint, reflecting China’s tolerance and commitment as a responsible power.”
The two sides fought a border war in 1962 that erupted in Ladakh and ended in an awkward truce. Since then, troops have guarded the indefinite border while occasionally fighting. The two countries have agreed not to attack each other with firearms.
The line of control really fierce it extends from Ladakh in the west to the east of India, Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its entirety. It breaks down into areas where the Himalayan nations of Nepal and Bhutan lie between India and China.
According to India, the de facto border is 3,488 kilometers (2,167 miles) long, while China says it is considerably shorter. As its name suggests, the LAC divides the areas of physical control rather than territorial claims.
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Hussain reported from Srinagar, India. Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.