Soldiers from India and China clashed last week along the two countries’ disputed Himalayan border. In 1962, when the countries fought a bloody, high-altitude war over the contested territories, China seized Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as part of South Tibet, before returning it to Indian control, but the disputed area belongs to and will remain in the integral control of India.
It was the first reported standoff between troops from the two Asian giants since deadly clashes in 2020 strained their already tense relations.
Both sides were involved with a few soldiers suffering minor injuries. China is yet to comment on the stand off. But Reuters reported an Indian army source saying at least six Indian troops were injured.
“Both sides immediately disengaged from the area,” the Indian army said.
It added that commanders from both sides had held a meeting immediately after “to restore peace and tranquility”.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the parliament on Tuesday that no Indian soldiers had been “hurt or seriously injured” in the clash and that the incident has been “taken up at diplomatic levels”. He added that because of “timely intervention of Indian military commanders, PLA soldiers went back to their positions”.
China and India share a disputed 3,440km (2,100 mile) long de facto border – called the Line of Actual Control, or LAC – which is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes and snowcaps means the line can shift. The soldiers on either side – representing two of the world’s largest armies – come face to face at many points.
