A brief confrontation between Indian and Chinese soldiers

New Delhi. Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed on December 9 at a location near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector, in which “some soldiers from both sides suffered minor injuries,” the Indian Army said on Monday. Gave. Amidst the border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh for more than 30 months, there was a clash near Yangtse on LAC in the sensitive area last Friday.

The Indian Army said in a statement, “There was a skirmish with PLA soldiers on December 9 along the LAC in the Tawang sector. Our soldiers faced the Chinese soldiers with determination. Some jawans from both sides suffered minor injuries in the skirmish. It said, “Both sides immediately retreated from the area. After this, our commander held a ‘flag meeting’ with the Chinese counterpart to restore peace as per the established mechanisms.

Both sides patrol in some areas of LAC
The army statement did not mention the number of soldiers involved in the clash and the number of soldiers injured in the incident. It said that the two sides have ‘different perceptions’ on the areas along the LAC in the Tawang sector. The army said, “Both sides patrol in some areas claimed by them adjacent to the LAC in Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh. This process has been going on since 2006. It is believed that the number of Chinese soldiers injured in the skirmish could be much higher.

After the conflict in the Galvan Valley, there was a lot of tension in the relations between India and China.
This is the first major clash between the Indian and Chinese armies since August 2020 near Rinchen La in eastern Ladakh. Indian and Chinese troops had a brief standoff along the Yangtse in October last year as well and it was resolved after talks between local commanders of both sides as per established protocol. In June 2020, after the fierce conflict in the Galvan Valley, relations between India and China had come to a standstill. Both sides gradually deployed thousands of soldiers and heavy weapons on the LAC.

Army has put in place an effective surveillance system in the Eastern Theater
Following the eastern Ladakh standoff, the Indian Army has significantly enhanced its operational capabilities along the LAC in the eastern theatre. The eastern theater largely comprises the border areas along the LAC in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and the border areas have several sensitive forward positions including the Tawang and North Sikkim sector. Army officials said the army has put in place an effective surveillance mechanism and the overall surveillance of the areas has improved significantly in the last two years.
There is about 3500 km long LAC between India and China.
In September, the commander of the Army’s Eastern Command, Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita, had said that the Indian Army was constantly monitoring PLA activities along the LAC and was fully prepared to deal with any challenge. Significantly, after the eastern Ladakh standoff that began on May 5, 2020, India is expediting the development of infrastructure along the nearly 3,500 km long LAC.