Twenty Indian army personnel were killed in the clash with Chinese troops. (Representational image)
Washington:
The United States “is closely monitoring” the situation following a fierce clash between Indian and Chinese forces in eastern Ladakh, and hopes that the disputes will be resolved peacefully, said a senior official in the Department of State.
Twenty members of the Indian army, including a colonel, were killed Monday evening during the clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan valley, the largest military confrontation in more than five decades that has considerably worsened the border impasse already unstable between the two countries.
“We are closely monitoring the situation between Indian and Chinese forces along the effective line of control,” the State Department spokesman said on Monday.
“We note that the Indian army has announced the deaths of 20 soldiers and we offer our condolences to their families,” said the official.
Both India and China have expressed interest in defusing, and the United States supports a peaceful resolution of the current situation, the spokesman said.
“During their phone call on June 2, 2020, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed the situation along the Indo-Chinese border,” added the official.
The Indian military initially announced on Tuesday that an officer and two soldiers had been killed. But in a late evening statement, he revised the figure to 20, saying that 17 other people “who were seriously injured in the line of duty and exposed to temperatures below freezing at the scene of the confrontation have succumbed to their wounds. “
In Beijing, officials of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs have remained silent about the losses suffered by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops, but Hu Xijin, the editor of the ruling tabloid, the Global Times, run by the Communist Party, tweeted to say there were victims. Chinese side too.
At least 35 Chinese soldiers, including a senior official, died in the violent clash with Indian soldiers, according to a report in the US News.
“According to an American intelligence report, the Chinese government regards the casualties among their troops as a humiliation for its armed forces and did not confirm the figures for fear of encouraging other adversaries,” the report said on Monday, citing anonymous sources.
Meanwhile, leading American experts in the region commented on the violent confrontation between India and China and said the aggressive maneuvers by the Chinese military posed a threat to the entire region.
If there is one lesson the United States can learn from it, it is that the Indo-Chinese border must be on the radar screen of United States foreign policy as the front line of Chinese assertiveness, said Alyssa Ayres of the Council on Foreign Relations.
South Asia is a vital and central part of the Indo-Pacific, not a sideline, said Ayres.
“We are still learning the details of a violent confrontation last night between the military of India and China along their border,” said US Senator Marsha Blackburn.
“The aggressive maneuvers of the People’s Liberation Army in India and Nepal affect the stability of the entire region and point to increased militarization of the Tibetan plateau, which China has ruled with an iron fist for decades,” said said Blackburn.
Large numbers of Indian and Chinese troops have engaged in an eyeball situation in the Galwan Valley and some other parts of eastern Ladakh in the past five weeks, including Pangong Tso in the Galwan Valley , Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh.
A significant number of members of the Chinese army have even transgressed on the Indian side of the de facto border in several regions, including Pangong Tso.
The Indian army fiercely opposed the transgressions and demanded their immediate withdrawal to restore peace and tranquility in the region. The two sides have held a series of talks over the past few days to resolve the conflict.
The border dispute between India and China concerns the 3,488 km long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India disputes it.
The two sides said that while waiting for the final settlement of the border issue, it was necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.
