What’s New: China has accused Indian troops of illegally crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the border again on Monday and firing warning shots at the Chinese side, forcing the People Liberation Army (PLA) to take countermeasures.
According to a Tuesday statement released by Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the PLA Western Theater Command, the Indian troops crossed the LAC on Monday at the west section of the China-India border, into the Shenpao mountain region near the south bank of Pangong Tso Lake.
Zhang said the Indian troops “outrageously” fired warning shots at Chinese border patrol soldiers who were about to enter into negotiations, this forced the Chinese soldiers to “take countermeasures to stabilize the situation.” He did not elaborate on the details.
The Indian side’s movements seriously “violated related agreements” reached by both sides, “stirred up tensions” in the region, and could easily cause “misunderstandings and misjudgments,” which is a serious military provocation and is “very vile in nature,” the spokesman said.
What’s more: The latest border skirmish came just three days after the first face-to-face meeting between Chinese defense minister Wei Fenghe and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Moscow on Friday. Both sides called for a de-escalation of tensions and full restoration of “peace and tranquility” at the border.
Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)
