Chinese Troops Tighten Control in Galwan Valley After India Crosses Border for Fortification

Sputnik News

12:44 GMT 18.05.2020

New Delhi (Sputnik): A border stand-off between India and China has once again erupted over infrastructure near the Line of Actual Control. China has been asking India to adopt a cautious and restrained attitude over infrastructure development in the border areas due to disputes over demarcation.

Days after over 250 troops from India and China were involved in altercations, China's People's Liberation Army has claimed that they successfully restored the status quo in the Galwan Valley, state-run newspaper the Global Times reported on Monday.

"In a resolute response to India's recent, illegal construction of defence facilities across the border into Chinese territory in the Galwan Valley region, Chinese border defence troops have made the necessary moves and enhanced control measures", a source close to the Chinese military told the Global Times.

China has accused India of trespassing on the loosely demarcated Line of Actual Control near the Galwan Valley and building defence fortifications, which created hurdles in smooth patrol activities along the border in eastern Ladakh.

Defence sources told the Global Times that these fortifications were built to "purposefully instigate conflicts and attempted to unilaterally change the current border control situation".

The sources confirmed that the Indian actions have seriously violated bilateral agreements on border issues, violated China's territorial sovereignty and harmed military relations between the two countries.

According to the source, Chinese and Indian border troops will main contact with each other on the current situation through meetings and representations.

The report comes days after Indian Army Chief MM Naravane clarified that the incidents were minor, not coordinated and should not be blown out of proportion.

The two countries have had serious face-offs in the Galwan area, which saw conflict in 1962 as well.

India and China have been in a border stand-off across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since the last week of April. The violent clashes between the two countries' troops erupted on 5 May in eastern Ladakh as both sides patrolled the border areas. As many as 11 soldiers, including four Indian and seven Chinese, were injured after a tense face-off near Naku La in the Sikkim sector on 8 May.

This is the second major confrontation between the two countries since the 73-day Doklam stand-off, when the Indian Army had stopped road construction activities near the tri-border junction between India, China, and Bhutan.

The two countries share a loosely demarcated 4,000 km border, which remains a matter of conflict between the neighbours.

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