A statement from the Indian army said that the soldier, Corporal Wang Ya Long, was detained within the Demchok area of Ladakh, administered by India.
China’s military says it hopes India will deliver on its promise to quickly return a Chinese soldier found lost along its de facto mountainous border, where the parties have been locked in a tense standoff.
The Chinese Defense Ministry issued a statement Monday night, saying the soldier had been helping herders gather yaks when he got lost on Sunday night.
The Chinese side informed their Indian counterparts about the missing soldier and were informed shortly after that he had been found and would be returned after undergoing a medical checkup, a spokesman for the Western Theater Command, Zhang Shuili, was quoted as saying.
A statement from the Indian side on Monday said that the soldier, Corporal Wang Ya Long, was detained within the Demchok area of Ladakh, administered by India, and would be released soon.
He said the soldier “had strayed” across the de facto border along the eastern section of what is known as the Royal Line of Control, a flexible demarcation that separates the areas controlled by India and China.
“In accordance with established protocols, it will be returned to Chinese officials at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point after completing the formalities,” the statement said.
An Indian soldier stands guard along a road leading to Ladakh, in Gagangir, about 81 km (50 miles) from Srinagar. [File: Farooq Khan/EPA]
The high-altitude confrontation began in early May with a fierce brawl and erupted into hand-to-hand combat with clubs, stones and fists on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. China is also believed to have suffered casualties, but has not provided details.
China detained at least 10 Indian soldiers, including four officers, after the deadly brawl. They were returned three days later after intense military and diplomatic negotiations.
India and China have each stationed tens of thousands of soldiers backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets and are preparing for a harsh winter in the north in the cold, desert region, where temperatures can drop to minus 50 degrees Celsius ( minus 58 Fahrenheit).
Nuclear-armed rivals have accused each other of crossing into rival territory and shooting for the first time in 45 years.
Relations between the two countries have often been strained, in part due to their unmarked border. They fought a border war in 1962 that spread to Ladakh and ended in an uneasy truce.
Since then, troops have guarded the indefinite border and have occasionally fought. They have agreed not to attack each other with firearms.
India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory and separated it from disputed Indian-administered Kashmir in August 2019, ending the region’s semi-autonomous status in dispute.
China was one of the first countries to strongly condemn the measure, raising it in international forums, including the United Nations Security Council.
