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New Delhi:
China tried to approach Indian positions on the southern shore of Ladakh’s Pangong Lake on Monday and fired into the air, India said today, accusing Beijing of trying to mislead its domestic and international audience. In a statement, the Army stated that at no time had the Indian soldiers crossed the Royal Line of Control (LAC) or resorted to any aggressive means, including fire. Indian troops recently gained a tactical advantage by occupying heights in the region, thwarting Chinese attempts to unilaterally alter LAC. Sources say that the Indian army continues to hold out after many provocations by the Chinese army in its attempt to reach this point. Some 7,000 Indian soldiers are at the scene and tanks have also been deployed after last night’s incident.
Here’s your 10-point cheat sheet on this great story:
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There have been repeated Chinese raids to drive away Indian soldiers from the heights they occupy in recent days. Yesterday, Chinese and Indian soldiers were a stone’s throw away on key Indian-occupied hills on the southern shore of Lake Pangong, between Rechin La-Rezangla-Mukhpari and Magar Hill in southern Pangong. When Chinese soldiers reached a position near Mukhpari, Indian troops yelled at them and showed their weapons, sources say. The Chinese then fired a burst of warning shots.
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“It was the (Chinese) troops who were trying to approach one of our forward positions throughout LAC and when their own troops deterred them, the PLA troops fired a few rounds into the air in an attempt to intimidate our troops. However. Despite the serious provocation, our troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner, ”said the Army.
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China “has blatantly violated the accords and carried out aggressive maneuvers, while engagement at the military, diplomatic and political level is in progress,” India said. “The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility, yet it is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. The statement from the Western Command Theater is an attempt to mislead its national and international audience.” .
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China had claimed last night that Indian soldiers fired warning shots into the air during a clash. He also claimed that Chinese troops took “countermeasures.” Zhang Shuili, a spokesman for the Western Command Theater, said in a statement: “We request the Indian side to immediately stop the dangerous actions … and strictly investigate and punish the personnel who shot to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again.”
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There were two major incidents of Chinese provocation in Pangong Tso, a glacial lake at 14,000 feet, on August 29 and 31. India said the Chinese have been trying to change the status quo from a new area, the South Bank of Pangong. India was prepared and was able to thwart these attempts, the government said.
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The previous incident on August 31 was a daytime operation during which Indian soldiers were surrounded by Chinese soldiers trying to regain altitude. The sources said Chinese soldiers were warned not to proceed and Chinese military commanders were asked to withdraw to avoid any escalation.
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Tension between the countries peaked when 20 Indian soldiers died for the country in a clash with the Chinese on June 15. China also suffered casualties but never confirmed any figures.
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The latest incident comes three days after Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, on the sidelines of a meeting in Moscow and agreed to ease tensions.
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Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, before his long-awaited talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow, described the situation in eastern Ladakh as “very serious” and said it requires “a very serious conversation. , very deep “between the two parties in a political meeting. level.
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In July, following talks between national security adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, India and China had started the disengagement process, which, however, remained incomplete.