The tumultuous Sino-India border has witnessed a new border clash between the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army.
The Indian army on Monday revealed that both troops clashed near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the Arunachal Pradesh border in the Tawang sector, leaving at least six Indian soldiers injured.
The tussle arose, on Dec. 09, 2022, after Chinese troops converged near the LAC prompting Indian troops to contest the action in a “resolute” manner. Indian media reports quoted unnamed sources as saying that the incident involved around 300 members of China's People's Liberation Army and that China suffered a greater number of injuries.
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The latest border tussle comes at a time when the bilateral ties between the nuclear giants are at rock bottom in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clash, in June 2020, leaving at least 20 Indian soldiers and four PLA troops killed.
China and India fought a full-scale war in 1962 over control of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims in its entirety and considers part of Tibet.
What does India say?
India has accused China of trying to "unilaterally change the status quo" on their disputed Himalayan border last week when clashes left troops on both sides injured.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the parliament that Indian and Chinese troops engaged in the fresh confrontation on December 9 in Arunachal Pradesh.
"On 09 December 2022, PLA troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo by encroaching on the Line of Actual Control, in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector," Singh said, referring to China's People's Liberation Army and the de-facto border.
The face-off, which followed recent joint US-India military exercises near the border that angered Beijing, led to "injuries to soldiers on both sides," Singh added.
"A scuffle ensued in this face-off. The Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from encroaching on our territory and forced them to withdraw to their posts. Some soldiers from both sides were injured in the skirmish."
What does China say?
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that he believed the situation was now calm but gave no details of what happened or whether Chinese troops were injured.
"As far as we understand, the China-India border situation is stable overall," Wang said, adding the two sides "maintained unobstructed dialogue on the border issue through diplomatic and military channels."
He added: "It is hoped that the Indian side will advance in the same direction as China, earnestly implement the important consensus reached by both leaders, strictly abide by the spirit of the agreements and accords signed by both sides, (and) together uphold the peace and tranquillity of the China-India border region."
US-India exercises
Since the deadly hand-to-hand battle in 2020, both sides have sent thousands of troops to bolster the border. Multiple rounds of talks have failed to substantially ease tensions. The army source said there was another "face-off" between Indian and Chinese troops in the last week of November in the Demchok region of Ladakh, further to the north.
It was unclear if there were any injuries resulting from that incident, which was the first since September 2020. The army source said that there has been increased activity in Ladakh by the Chinese military, as well as a "possible" airspace violation by the Chinese air force in the same area.
This follows joint military exercises which irked Beijing last month between India and the United States in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, which borders China. The Chinese soldiers also displayed a banner objecting to the Indo-US military exercises, the source said.
Undefined border
China and India fought a war in 1962 over their long and disputed border. The exact path of the border, some of which is more than 4,000 metres (13,100 feet) above sea level, has never been demarcated.
Winter temperatures can plunge below minus 30 Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit), cracking gun barrels and seizing up machinery.
Even before the June 2020 clash, India was moving strategically closer to the West, deepening security cooperation with the United States, Japan and Australia in the Asia-Pacific region.
United by their concern about China's increasing influence in the region, together they make up the so-called Quad alliance.
India has also embarked on a $130-billion modernisation of its armed forces -- including ordering attack helicopters from the United States and a missile defence system from Russia.
In the aftermath of the 2020 clash, India banned hundreds of mobile applications of Chinese origin, including the popular social media platform TikTok. Chinese firms operating in India, including cellphone makers Xiaomi and Huawei, have been raided by the tax authorities.
Bilateral trade remains brisk, however, at around $100 billion per year, but India imports from China far more than it exports there.
(With inputs from PTI, AFP)