Not aware of scuffle in Ladakh: China

Indian border guards on Tuesday foil Chinese soldiers' bid to enter Indian territory in Ladakh, resulting in pelting of stones that cause minor injuries to people on both sides.

A view of Pangong Lake in Ladakh. File photo

China on Wednesday said it was not aware of an alleged intrusion by its troops in the Ladakh sector, which was followed by a scuffle with Indian forces near the Pangong lake.

In response to a question on the reported incident, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said she was “not aware of the information”.

She stressed that the troops from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) always undertook patrols on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). “The Chinese side is committed to peace and tranquillity on the China-India border,” she said.

Minor injuries

The Indian troops apparently stopped the Chinese forces from crossing over to the Indian side of the LAC, leading to an unarmed clash. The brawl, in which stone-throwing was involved, caused minor injuries on both sides.

The report of the scuffle has fed into tensions in the Doklam plateau in the Sikkim sector, where Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a lengthy stand-off.

Ms. Hua urged “the Indian side [to] abide by the LAC and relevant conventions between the two sides”. Analysts point out that as India and China do not have a common understanding of the LAC alignment, border patrols inadvertently run into each other.