New Delhi
CNN
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Indian and Chinese forces have clashed on the disputed Himalayan border. This is the first known incident between her two nuclear armed forces in Asia in about two years.
In a statement, the Indian Ministry of Defense said the showdown took place on Friday in the Tawang sector in the northeastern Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh, a remote and remote region that borders southern China. said both soldiers suffered minor injuries.
The 2,100-mile (3,379-kilometer) long disputed border has long been a source of friction between New Delhi and Beijing, with tensions escalating sharply in June 2020 and hand-to-hand fighting between the two countries resulted in at least 1 person died. 20 Indian and 4 Chinese soldiers from Aksay Chin Ladakh.
On Tuesday, India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces would “unilaterally” change the status quo by trying to cross the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the two countries. accused of doing so.
“The ensuing confrontation led to a physical brawl, in which the Indian army bravely stopped the PLA from entering our territory and forced them to return to their places of origin,” Singh said, adding that the Indian side He added that there were no serious injuries.
In a previous statement, the Indian Defense Ministry said both sides would “immediately withdraw from the region” and that each country’s respective commanders would flag to discuss the issue “according to a structured mechanism to restore peace and tranquility”. He said he held a meeting.
He said the talks took place on Sunday and the Chinese side was “asked to refrain from such actions and maintain peace and quiet” along the border. The issue is also being addressed through diplomatic channels, he added.
China’s foreign ministry did not directly acknowledge the incident at a regular news briefing scheduled for Tuesday.
“As far as we know, the border area between China and India is generally stable, and the two countries maintain smooth communication on border-related issues through diplomatic and military channels,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said. When asked about India’s statement on the incident, the rapporteur to the “competent authorities” for “details”.
China wants India to be “on the same page” to “jointly maintain peace and stability on the China-India border,” he added.
India and China started a war over borders in 1962 and eventually established the LAC. However, the two countries have not agreed on its exact location, and both sides regularly accuse the other of overstepping it or seeking to expand its territory.According to an Indian Army statement at the time. Since then, there have been a series of mostly non-fatal brawls over border positions, including the most recent known example in 2021.
In September, the Indian government said Indian and Chinese troops had begun to withdraw from the Gogla Hot Springs border region in the Western Himalayas, two years after border clashes strained diplomatic relations.
The statement was released ahead of a regional summit in Uzbekistan attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Activities in the region continue to be closely monitored by both sides.
On November 30, China’s foreign ministry criticized joint high-altitude exercises conducted by US-Indian forces in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, saying the exercises “did not help build bilateral trust.” He said he had expressed concern to New Delhi.
China has grown wary of India’s ties with the United States in recent years, as Sino-US relations have broken down and quad security dialogues have become more active, including India, the United States, and US allies Japan and Australia.
Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping last met at the G20 summit in Bali last month.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told parliament last week ahead of the skirmish that border disputes had seen an “abnormality” in China-India relations in recent years, and that New Delhi was “diplomatically” with China in a “very difficult situation.” It was clear,” he said. They said they “will not tolerate attempts to unilaterally change” the LAC.
“yes As long as they continue to try to do that, if they are building up their military power, it constitutes a serious concern in the border region in our opinion and our relationship is not normal. No. Relations with India, the military commander added, “continue to engage each other.”