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In a TV address to the nation, India’s Modi says the sacrifice of soldiers killed in Ladakh by China’s army “will not go in vain”.
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China says it does not want to see any more clashes on the border with India following a clash on Monday that killed at least 20 Indian soldiers.
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India says the “violent face-off” is an attempt by China to “unilaterally change the status quo” on the Galwan Valley frontier in Indian-administered Ladakh.
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Beijing, in turn, accuses the Indian army of “provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation”.
Here are the latest updates:
09:45 GMT – Modi says sacrifice of soldiers ‘won’t go in vain’
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the sacrifice of the 20 soldiers killed by the Chinese army “will not go in vain” and urged that “differences [with China] should not turn into disputes”.
“For us, the unity and sovereignty of the country is the most important… India wants peace but it is capable to give a befitting reply if instigated,” he said.
Modi ended his address on live television by observing a two-minute silence and folding his hands in order to pay his tributes to the dead soldiers.
The Indian leader has also called for a virtual meeting on June 19 with the opposition parties to discuss the tension with China, his office said.
09:17 GMT – India, China armies ‘talking to defuse tension’
Talks are being held between senior Indian and Chinese army officers in the Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Himalayan region to defuse the situation, India’s news agency, ANI, reported citing sources in the Indian army.
In a report earlier on Wednesday, ANI had also claimed that a Chinese military commander was among more than 40 People’s Liberation Army soldiers killed in Monday night’s “violent face-off”. The news agency provided no further details.
08:45 GMT – India awaits Modi’s response to Ladakh killings
Meanwhile, India waits for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the death of Indian soldiers as the country’s media vented its fury and political rivals goaded Modi over his silence.
Modi, who rode to power on a nationalist platform, met his defence and foreign ministers and military chiefs late on Tuesday, but he has yet to speak publicly on the worst clash between the two countries since the Nathu La conflict in 1967, five years after the Sino-Indian war.
“Why is the PM silent, why is he hiding,” Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party tweeted. “Enough is enough, We need to know what happened. How dare China kill our soldiers, how dare they take our land.
08:33 GMT – China says it does not want any more clashes
China has said it does not want to see any more clashes on the border with India, adding that both countries are trying to resolve the situation via dialogue.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian reiterated that China is not to blame for the clash and said the overall situation at the border is “stable and controllable”.
35 dead and injured on Chinese side during clash in Galwan Valley: official sources quoting US intelligence reports
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 17, 2020
08:17 GMT – China’s drill in same area of clashes with India
China’s state broadcaster reported on a large military exercise in the same region as a recent deadly border clash with India, The Associate Press reported.
The CCTV report did not mention when exactly the military exercise was conducted, only mentioning “recently” and that 155 vehicles were used in Nyainqentanglha Shan more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from the site of recent deadly clashes between the two nations’ armies.
“The exercise adopted a joint strategy of combating three-dimensional intrusion and seizing control,” said Zhang Jialin, Tibetan Military Region Brigade Commander.
08: 04 GMT – India defence minister tweets condolence
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said the killings of soldiers in Galwan Valley is “deeply disturbing and painful”.
“Our soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and sacrificed their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army,” he tweeted.
“The Nation will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. My heart goes out to the families of the fallen soldiers. The nation stand shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour. We are proud of the bravery and courage of India’s breavehearts.”
07:30 GMT – How Indian, Chinese media reported Ladakh clash
While Chinese state media has downplayed a deadly military confrontation with India in the Indian-administered Ladakh region, Indian newspapers called for “steely resolve” over the killing of at least 20 soldiers.
Indian news agency ANI on Tuesday night claimed that 43 Chinese soldiers had died in Monday’s clash, without giving further details. Chinese media did not reveal casualties on its side.
Read more here.
The incident was very clear, as it happened on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the responsibility did not rest with #China, said Chinese FM on China-#India border conflict https://t.co/M53euCmHEw
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 17, 2020
07:15 GMT – Key dates in decades-old India-China conflict
Asian regional superpowers India and China share a long history of mistrust and conflict along their lengthy border, and tensions flared this week in their first deadly clash in more than four decades.
The world’s two most populous nations and nuclear-armed neighbours have never agreed on the length of their LAC frontier, which straddles the strategically important Himalayan region.
Read more here.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
