Last Monday, on August 31st, Indian government officials communicated a strongly worded accusation which blamed Chinese troops of disturbing the peace, and breaking the agreement struck on the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Easter Ladakh. CNN International reports that several skirmishes involving gunfire between Indian and Chinese troops, occurred from late Saturday night on August 29th, until early Sunday morning on August 30th. This escalation thus arrives as a result of a previous deadly armed confrontation between both countries on June 15th in the northern India border which left 20 soldiers dead. This deadly clash occurred precisely in the Galwan Valley.
Indian officials also remarked that their soldiers were ordered to regroup in their positions around the neighboring Pangong Tso Lake to preempt any possible further Chinese military activity. On the other hand, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied any desire to violate the mandated rules that both nations adhere to along the LAC. A Chinese military spokesperson reinforced their version of the story, by stating that the Indian government is actively lying because China has always abided and respected the marked line. However, the current issue resides in that the Chinese military is claiming that India’s presence in the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake is in fact a real violation of the LAC. Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), has formally warned the Indian military forces to withdraw those specific troops in order to successfully de-escalate the situation.
Historically, altercations between these two countries have been prevalent until the outbreak of the Sino-Indian war in 1962. Diplomacy is often overlooked when one party decides to provoke the other. However, the June 15th incident was definitely the most serious event since the above mentioned war. The international community is urging both countries to lessen a conflict that does not benefit the region in terms of peace and stability.
To know more, please read :
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/31/asia/india-china-border-intl-hnk-scli/index.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53061476
Author: Sergio Gomez
