China paints itself as innocent victims in Ladakh border scuffle with Indians

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BORDER PATROL: An army team in Sub-Sector North along the Line of Actual Control with China. (Photo courtesy: Dinakar Peri  /thehindu)
BORDER PATROL: An army team in Sub-Sector North along the Line of Actual Control with China. (Photo courtesy: Dinakar Peri /thehindu)

(TibetanReview.net, Aug22, 2017) – China has given a patently one-sided account of a scuffle which took place between its and Indian border security forces on Aug 15 in the Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir, painting its side as innocent and grievously hurt victims. The Indian side “took fierce actions, collided with the Chinese and physically fought with them,” China’s official Xinhua news agency Aug 21 quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying as saying at a daily briefing Aug 21.

Indian media reports had said Aug 15 that Chinese soldiers twice tried to cross the Line of Actual Control at two spots in Ladakh but were pushed back. In particular, China’s official globaltimes.cn Aug 16 cited Reuters as reporting that Chinese soldiers carried iron rods and stones and that troops on both sides suffered minor injuries in the melee.

But the Xinhua report cited Hua as saying Indian border troops obstructed Chinese border troops who she claimed were carrying out normal patrols on the Chinese side of the actual line of control in the Pangong lake area.

Hua’s belated response came after the appearance of a video footage, said to have been taken by a former Indian army officer, showing border troops from the two countries pushing and throwing stones at one another near Pangong Lake.

Hua has stressed that China was extremely dissatisfied and had lodged solemn representations.

China had previously threatened to escalate the situation between the two countries unless India unilaterally withdrew its troops from Doklam, a border plateau site in Bhutan claimed by China as well. On being alerted by Bhutan that China was building a road on this site, India on Jun 16 sent in its troops to help the Bhutanese and also because the Chinese action was seen as posing a strategic threat to it as well. The standoff has remained unresolved since then, with China insisting that India should withdraw at once or face war.

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