The Indian Army on Tuesday said it has not transgressed across the Line of Actual Control(LAC) or resorted to use of any aggressive means including firing as it strongly rejected allegations of China's PLA of military provocation in eastern Ladakh. The Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) late on Monday night alleged that Indian troops crossed the LAC and "outrageously fired" warning shots near the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh.
The Indian Army is engaged in a standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh since early May. Tensions flared up again in eastern Ladakh after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory in the southern bank of Pangong lake a week back when the two sides were engaged in diplomatic and military talks to resolve the prolonged border row.
India occupied a number of strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong lake and strengthened its presence in Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas in the region to thwart any Chinese actions. China has strongly objected to India's move. However, India has maintained that the heights are on its side of the LAC. India has also rushed in additional troops and weapons to the sensitive region following China's transgression attempts.
Here are the live updates on the India-China tensions on Tuesday:
Details of the September 7 incident"Chinese soldiers came armed with guns, spears, rods and machetes. About 40-50 PLA troops came heavily armed with a clear intention to capture Indian territory," sources told CNBC-TV18.
Chinese soldiers then fired in the air to intimidate Indian troops. The flare-up came to a halt when the Indian army warned that they would open fire.
"About 40-50 PLA troops are 200-300 metres away from the flare-up point and within firing sight. The incident took place at around 7 pm on Monday evening," sources added.
The Army commanders of India and China are communicating via hotline, it is learnt. India-China military contact is taking place but there are no physical talks on ground.
Shiv Sena Dogra Front Protests Against Chinese Aggression in Ladakh: The Shiv Sena Dogra Front (SSDF), a local political outfit, on Tuesday staged a protest here against the aggressive maneuvers by Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. The Army earlier in the day said Chinese troops fired shots in the air and attempted to close in on an Indian position in eastern Ladakh. PUBG ditches China's Tencent for India franchise: PUBG Corporation, the makers of the PUBG game, has decided to take away the Indian franchise from China's Tencent. “PUBG Corporation has made the decision to no longer authorise the PUBG MOBILE franchise to Tencent Games in India. Moving forward, PUBG Corporation will take on all publishing responsibilities within the country," the company said in a statement. The company added that it hopes to work with the Indian government to find a solution to the problem. Continue reading
Press Statement on China Daily / Global Times article attributing false comments to NSA September 08, 2020: We have seen reports in Chinese state media, including in China Daily and Huanqiu Shibao (Global Times), which had attributed some comments to NSA Shri Ajit Doval. These reports are completely false and are not based in facts. We urge the media to refrain from such speculative reporting.
Indian Army statement: India, while is committed to disengagement and de-escalating the situation on the LAC, China continues to undertake provocative activities to escalate. At no stage has the Indian Army transgressed across the LAC or resorted to use of any aggressive means, including firing. It is the PLA that has been blatantly violating agreements and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres, while engagement at military, diplomatic and political level is in progress. In the instant case on 07 September 2020, it was the PLA troops who were attempting to close-in with one of our forward positions along the LAC and when dissuaded by own troops, PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air in an attempt to intimidate own troops. However, despite the grave provocation, own troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner. The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity, however, is also determined to protect national integrity and sovereignty at all costs. The statement by the Western Theatre Command is an attempt to mislead their domestic and international audience.
External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will be attending the meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be held in Moscow on 9-10 September, 2020. This will be the third CFM meeting that India will be attending as a full member of SCO. Earlier two meetings were held in Beijing (China) on 23-24 April, 2018 and Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic) on 21-22 May, 2019. India has been taking active part in various SCO dialogue mechanisms under the Chairmanship of the Russian Federation in this year. The SCO Summit will be held in the near future. The CFM meeting in Moscow will review the preparations for the forthcoming SCO Summit and also exchange views on international and regional issues. External Affairs Minister’s visit in Moscow will include the participation in the Council of SCO Foreign Ministers and other bilateral meetings.
State of the border cannot be de-linked from the state of relationship: Ahead of his expected talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the state of the border with China cannot be de-linked from the state of the overall relationship with the neighbouring country. The external affairs minister also described the situation in eastern Ladakh as "very serious" which he said calls for "very very deep conversation" between the two sides at a political level. Jaishankar was speaking at an interactive session by The Indian Express newspaper.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on Thursday, news agency PTI cited the people familiar with the developments as saying. The two foreign ministers held a telephonic conversation on June 17 during which both sides agreed that the overall situation would be handled in a responsible manner. The talks took place two days after the Galwan Valley clashes in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The clashes escalated the tensions manifold. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is likely to have a stopover in Iran on Tuesday on his way to a four-day visit to Russia, where he is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, people familiar with the developments said. Jaishankar is visiting Moscow to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) of which both India and China are members. He is likely to have a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Tehran before he leaves for Moscow, they said. Jaishankar's trip to Moscow comes days after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Russian capital to attend a meeting of SCO defence ministers.
On Friday, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh held an over two-hour meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe on the escalating border row between the two countries in eastern Ladakh. In the talks, Singh categorically told Wei that India will not "cede an inch of land" and is determined to protect the integrity and sovereignty of the country at "all cost. An official statement said that Singh conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that China must strictly respect the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and not make attempts to unilaterally change its status quo. It was the highest level face-to-face contact between the two sides after the border tension erupted in eastern Ladakh in early May. China accused Indian troops of violating a bilateral agreement and firing warning shots in the air during a confrontation with Chinese personnel on the disputed border on Monday, amid renewed tensions between the two countries. Chinese border guards took ”countermeasures” to stabilise the situation, Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the military’s western command theatre, said in a statement published by the military’s official news website early on Tuesday. Continue reading
Foreign Minister Dr. S Jaishankar to leave for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meet in Moscow.
Army starts process to make ICVs capable of operating in the night: The Indian Army has kick-started a process to make its infantry combat vehicles capable of operating in the night, a move that comes at a time it is engaged in a fierce border row with the Chinese military in eastern Ladakh, officials said on Monday. The army has already invited expression of interest (EoI) from eligible domestic companies for the development of a prototype and further procurement of armament for BMP-2/2K infantry combat vehicles. The current fleet of BMP-2/2Ks was first inducted into the Army in 1985 and it has been the mainstay of the mechanised infantry since then. The EoI said the armament system is "night blind" and needs to be upgraded with nigh-fighting capabilities.—With inputs from agencies
First Published: Sept 8, 2020 9:12 AM IST
