(New Delhi) A new clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place at the end of last week on the disputed Himalayan border between India and China, causing injuries on both sides, the Indian side announced on Monday.
The incident, which happened on Friday, caused “minor injuries to a few people” on both sides, a source close to the Indian military said.
According to another source, in the army this time, at least six Indian soldiers were injured.
China has not yet provided any official information on this subject.
The Chinese military approached the area near the “Line of Effective Control” – the de facto border – where it had been agreed that neither side would patrol, the sources said.
The Indian soldiers then reacted “firmly and resolutely”, said the first source.
Immediate withdrawal
After the skirmish, both sides “immediately withdrew from the area”, she added.
An Indian commander then had a meeting with a Chinese counterpart to “discuss the issue within the framework of existing mechanisms to restore peace and tranquility”.
The incident took place in the Tawang area of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, all of which is claimed by China, which calls the region South Tibet.
The first source said there are “areas of different perception, in which both sides patrol to their claim lines. This has been the trend since 2006”.
Indian media quoted unnamed sources as saying that the clash involved around 300 members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and that most of the injured were on the Chinese side.
Fuzzy borders
China and India fought a war in 1962 over their disputed border.
Tensions between these two countries have been latent since clashes in 2020 that left twenty Indian soldiers dead and at least four Chinese soldiers dead.
The exact course of the border, part of which is more than 4,000 meters away, has never been delimited.
Winter temperatures can dip below -30°C, causing rifle barrels to break and equipment to seize up.
Already before the June 2020 clash, India was strategically getting closer to the West, deepening its security cooperation with the United States, Japan and Australia in the Asia-Pacific region.
United by their concern over China’s growing influence in the region, these countries together form what is known as the Quadrilateral Alliance.
India has also embarked on the modernization of its armed forces, a program worth 130 billion dollars, and has notably ordered attack helicopters from the United States and a missile defense system from Russia. .