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NEW DELHI / BEIJING: India and China have accused each other of shooting into the air during a new confrontation on their border in the western Himalayas, in a new escalation of military tension between the nuclear-armed nations.
Hundreds of soldiers come face-to-face along the remote border, which erupted in a clash in June that killed 20 Indian soldiers in hand-to-hand combat.
Both parties have observed a long-standing protocol to prevent the use of firearms at the sensitive and unmarked border, although this agreement has prevented casualties.
On Monday night, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops attempted to approach an advanced Indian position on the Royal Line of Control (LAC), or factor border, in the Ladakh sector, the Indian army said in a release. .
“And when they were deterred by the (Indian troops) themselves, the PLA troops fired a few rounds into the air in an attempt to intimidate the troops themselves,” the army said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the Indian side acted sparingly. .
“At no time has the Indian Army transgressed through LAC or resorted to the use of any aggressive means, including fire,” he said.
But China said the Indians had crossed the informal border across the southern shore of Pangong Tso Lake, where tension has been mounting for more than a week.
“The Indian troops blatantly threatened to shoot the Chinese border guards who were patrolling and who came forward to negotiate, and the Chinese border guards were forced to take countermeasures to stabilize the situation,” said Zhang Shuili, representative of the Western Theater Command of the EPL.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Indian troops had illegally crossed LAC and were the first to fire.
“This is a serious military provocation,” spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a daily press conference in Beijing on Tuesday.
COMPETENT CLAIMS
Military and diplomatic commanders have held several rounds of talks since July to reduce tension, but have made little progress to reduce forces in the arid, high-altitude region that both nations claim and consider vital to their security.
The latest spike in tension around Alpine Lake Pangong began late last month when Indian forces mobilized to deter Chinese troops, whose movements suggested they intended to occupy a hill that India considers its territory, Indian officials said.
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Each nation has urged the other to contain advance troops that have been locked in a clash since April, after India said China meddled deeply on its LAC side.
Beijing denies the accusation.
“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 occur,” Zhang of the PLA said in the statement on Monday’s incident.
India and China fought a border war in 1962 and continue to claim thousands of square kilometers of territory stretching from the snowy deserts of Ladakh in the west to the mountain forests in the east.
Also on Tuesday, five young Indians who disappeared from an eastern border state several days ago were found in China after the Indian military contacted their Chinese counterpart, an Indian minister said.
“China’s PLA has responded to the hotline message sent by the Indian military. They have confirmed that the missing youth from Arunachal Pradesh have been found by their side,” Federal Minister Kiren Rijiju said in a tweet, referring to the state of the east of India which is also claimed by China.
