NEW DELHI —
Indian and
Chinese troops engaged in a fresh “face-off” on their disputed
Himalayan border last week, leaving several injured on both sides, sources said
Monday.
اضافة اعلان
The incident on
December 9 led to “minor injuries to (a) few personnel from both sides”, one
source said. Another source, from the Indian army, said at least six Indian
soldiers were hurt.
China was yet to
comment officially.
Chinese soldiers
came close to the area near the Line of Actual Control — the de facto border —
where it had been agreed that neither side would patrol, the sources said.
This move was
“contested by ... (Indian) troops in a firm and resolute manner”, the first
source said.
After the skirmish
both sides “immediately disengaged from the area”, the source added.
An Indian commander
later held a meeting with a Chinese counterpart “to discuss the issue in
accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquility”.
The incident took
place in the Tawang Sector of the northeastern Indian state Arunachal Pradesh,
all of which is claimed by China. Beijing refers to the area as South Tibet.
The first source
said that there are “areas of differing perception, wherein both sides patrol
the area up to their claim lines. This has been the trend since 2006.”
Indian media
reports quoted unnamed sources as saying that the incident involved around 300
members of China’s People’s Liberation Army, and that China suffered a greater
number of injuries.
China and
India fought a war in 1962 over their long and disputed border.
Undefined border
Tensions have simmered between the countries since a clash in 2020 that
left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead.
The exact path of
the border, some of which is more than 4,000m above sea level, has never been
demarcated.
Winter temperatures
can plunge below -30°C, cracking gun barrels and seizing up machinery.
Even before the
June 2020 clash, India was moving strategically closer to the West, deepening
security cooperation with the US,
Japan, and Australia in the Asia-Pacific
region.
United by their
concern about China’s increasing influence in the region, together they make up
the so-called Quad alliance.
India has also embarked on a $130-billion modernization of
its armed forces — including ordering attack helicopters from the US and a
missile defense system from Russia.
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