June 17, 2020
Chinese, Indian foreign ministers discuss
de-escalation after bloody border clash in Ladakh
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
The foreign minister of China Wang Yi held telephone talks Wednesday with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, over a bloody border clash that left 20 Indian soldiers killed
The Chinese foreign ministry said that both sides agreed to “cool down the situation on the ground as soon as possible, and maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas in accordance with the agreement reached so far between both countries.”
However, India Wednesday accused China of "pre-meditated and planned" action that resulted in the deaths of its soldiers. The "Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan Valley on our side of the LAC (Line of Actual Control)," India's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement Wednesday. "It reflected an intent to change the facts on ground in violation of all our agreements."
A Chinese government statement, meanwhile, said Foreign Minister Wang Yi had told his Indian counterpart that India must punish the soldiers responsible for the clash.
Indian forces "crossed the Line of Actual Control again and deliberately provoked violence, attacking the officers and soldiers… (this) led to fierce physical clashes, resulting in casualties," the Chinese official said. "We urge the Indian side to conduct a thorough investigation on this, severely punish those responsible for the incident, strictly control the frontline troops."
Hand to hand fight
Indian media outlets have published details of the high-altitude hand-to-hand combat, citing unnamed government sources, saying the two sides came face-to-face on a narrow ridge pass in the middle of the night. As a fight broke out, some soldiers were pushed off the cliff and fell to their deaths.
The soldiers reportedly brawled with stones, clubs, iron rods, and even sticks pierced with nails. The fight lasted for about six hours in total darkness, the reports said.
According to Pravin Sawhny, an Indian defense expert, three Indian soldiers died on the spot while 16 soldiers and a Colonel rank officer died because they could not get medical treatment. He said the Chinese side was fully prepared for this confrontation while Indian side was not prepared. Even the soldiers deployed there apparently had no proper training to operate in the harsh climate at around 18,000 feet height. Pravin Sawhny also said that the Indian soldiers did not have any defense weapons for which the Indian military high command is responsible.
"Closely Monitoring" India-China Border Clash In Ladakh: US
The US is "closely monitoring" the situation following a fierce clash between Indian and Chinese forces in eastern Ladakh, and hopes that the differences will be resolved peacefully, Press Trust of India quoted a senior State Department official as saying.
"We note the Indian military has announced that 20 soldiers have died, and we offer our condolences to their families," the official said.
Both India and China have expressed their desires to de-escalate and the US supports a peaceful resolution of the current situation, the spokesperson said.
"During their phone call on June 2, 2020, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed the situation along the India-China border," the official added.
"We are still learning the details of a violent clash last night between the militaries of India and China along their border," PTI quoted US Senator Marsha Blackburn as saying.
"The People's Liberation Army's aggressive maneuvers in India and Nepal affect the stability of the entire region and point to the increased militarization of the Tibetan plateau, which China has ruled with an iron fist for decades," Blackburn said.
Russia welcomes China-India contacts aimed at de-escalation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow welcomes the contacts between its close allies India and China after a deadly border confrontation.
Lavrov said at a press conference that "it's already been announced that military representatives of India and China have been in contact, they are discussing the situation, discussing measures for its de-escalation. We welcome that."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists: "Both China and India are very close partners for us, allies." "We are paying close attention to what is happening on the China-India border."
'China concerned at India building road along LAC'
Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at The Wilson Center, has told Al Jazeera a combination of factors are at play behind the India-China tension.
"I believe China has been concerned at Indian road building along the Line of Actual Control [LAC], particularly one road that was completed last year that essentially allows connectivity from Leh, the capital of Ladakh, all the way to Karakoram Pass," he said.
Kugelman said any conversation on the Chinese motivation must address India's repeal of Article 370, which granted autonomy to Indian-administered Kashmir. The federal territory of Ladakh, where the latest clashes took place, was carved out of the former Jammu and Kashmir state following the repeal.
"I think it's clear. Beijing responded strongly and quickly after India made that move last year. I think China looks at Article 370 repeal similarly as Pakistan does. India made a unilateral move that affected a territory that China claims as its own," Kugelman told Al Jazeera.
"I think the [coronavirus] pandemic played a part too. China knows that it has been put on the defensive by a lot of strong criticism from key capitals around the world about its initial response to the coronavirus. It has found itself in a lot of hot water with lot of key actors, not just the US but others too. I think China wanted to divert attention by pushing back hard against India."
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Chief Editor of the Journal of America (www.journalofamerica.net) email: asghazali2011 (@) gmail.com
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
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