New Delhi: A day after images surfaced of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) armed with sticks, spears and machetes, India raised the issue with China on Wednesday during commander-level talks. This comes two days after Chinese troops tried to block Indian posts along the Royal Line of Control (LAC) on Lake Pangong in Ladakh.
The images are the first direct evidence of the use of such weapons by the Chinese military against Indian troops throughout LAC. The “provocative” action on September 7 by Chinese forces saw them carrying “Guandao”, a traditional Chinese sword that is basically a blade mounted on a wooden or metal pole.
The talks went on for four hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., but to no avail. During the talks, the “aggressive behavior” of Chinese forces was also raised, a government source said.
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Both nations held the first brigade commanders since the September 7 incident when Chinese Army PLA troops tried to approach one of India’s forward positions and fired for the first time in 40 years.
According to sources, the Chinese engaged in provocative actions throughout the day on September 8 in the areas around Rezang La, Mukhpari and continued until 6 pm. While there was no provocative action by the Chinese on Wednesday, PLA troops remain in the same general area.
The Chinese military had claimed in a midnight statement on September 7 that the Indian side had fired shots, which was strongly refuted by the Indian military in a statement on September 8. The army said: “The PLA troops fired a few rounds into the air” and “despite the serious provocation, the troops themselves exercised great restraint and behaved with maturity and responsibility.”
The incident occurred around the height of Rezang La in LAC and, according to sources, around 40 PLA soldiers attempted to approach an Indian position in eastern Ladakh on 7 September. The use of firearms throughout LAC marks a serious escalation in border tensions, as the previous case of shooting at the de facto border was in 1975.
The images clearly indicate that the Chinese army intended a skirmish similar to the one on June 15 in which both sides suffered casualties. While at least 20 Indian Jawans were killed in the violent clash, 35-50 Chinese soldiers are also believed to have died in the incident.
Meanwhile, Chinese troops are observing a build-up in the Chushul sector of LAC in Ladakh. The government source said: “The Chinese are trying to play things psychologically.”
September 10 will be an important day as Foreign Minister S Jaishankar is expected to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the meeting of the Organization’s Foreign Ministers. Cooperation Agency (SCO) in Moscow, the capital of Russia. It will be the first in-person meeting between the two foreign ministers in the four-month standoff.
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