The Chinese military on Wednesday said the Indian troops crossed the border and obstructed the PLA forces that triggered a fresh stand-off between the two countries.
#BREAKING China military says India troops 'illegally' crossed disputed border pic.twitter.com/xHkDGzup7q
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 13, 2022
The statement came hours after it said the situation along the border with India is stable.
“As far as we understand, the China-India border situation is stable overall,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said earlier in the first official statement since the face-off last Friday. The two sides “maintained unobstructed dialogue on the border issue through diplomatic and military channels,” he said.
Indian and Chinese PLA soldiers face off at Arunachal LAC
Clashes broke out between the Indian and Chinese troops on December 9 in the border area of the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh, an official statement by the Defence Ministry of India said.
The Chinese PLA reportedly contacted the LAC in the Tawang sector, which was contested by Indian troops in a firm and resolute manner that led to a stand-off between the two sides. Though both sides immediately disengaged from the area after the clashes, the Chinese PLA suffered more injuries than the Indian Army troopers.
A report by India Today confirmed that around 200 Chinese soldiers were involved in the attack. As per the report, the Chinese PLA came heavily prepared with spiked clubs with nails on them, monkey fists (a crude weapon made of iron that is worn on the wrist), and taser guns and sticks.
The PLA troop was challenged by a group of roughly 50 Indian soldiers who confronted them and stopped their advances in a location. According to a report by The Print’s Snehesh Alex Philip, a backup Indian squad arrived at the location within a half-hour, following which a clash ensued. According to sources cited by the media outlet, this conflict began with stone-pelting before troops from both sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks on the Indo-China clash in Tawang
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday addressed the lower house of the Indian Parliament over the scuffle that broke out between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector on December 9. Singh said that the attempt of PLA troops was contested by the Indian army in a firm and resolute manner. He added that the contestation led to a face-off between the two forces, resulting in a minor scuffle which prevented the PLA from transgressing into the Indian territory and compelled them to return to their posts.
“Our army valiantly fought back & forced Chinese troops to go back to their post. They foiled China’s bid to unilaterally alter the status quo along the LAC in the Tawang sector. Both sides have suffered some injury, none of our soldiers is seriously injured or dead,” Singh said in Lok Sabha.
