Galwan Valley episode: China ordered attack on Indian troops, says US intel
Washington/Beijing: A top Chinese general had authorized his forces to attack Indian troops in the Galwan River valley which further escalated tension between the neighbouring nations, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment.
Gen. Zhao Zongqi, head of the Western Theater Command and among the few combat veterans still serving in the People's Liberation Army, approved the operation along the contested border region of northern India and southwestern China, a source familiar with the assessment told US News on the condition of anonymity.
Zhao, who has overseen prior standoffs with India, has previously expressed concerns that China must not appear weak to avoid exploitation by the United States and its allies, including in New Delhi, the source says, and saw the faceoff last week as a way to "teach India a lesson."
The assessment contradicts China's subsequent assertions about what happened last week.
And it indicates the deadly and contentious incident – in which at least 20 Indian and 35 Chinese troops died, and reportedly a handful on each side were captured and subsequently released – was not the result of a tense circumstance that spiraled out of control, as has happened before, but rather a purposeful decision by Beijing to send a message of strength to India, reports US News.
The US source told US News the Chinese move did not lead to their victory in the situation.
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"It does the very opposite of what China wanted," the source says. "This is not a victory for China's military."
Meanwhile, India and China have mutually agreed to disengage from all friction points in Galwan Valley, government sources said here on Tuesday.
To defuse tension at Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Corps Commander level talks between India and China were held at Moldo in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere on Jun 22.
There was a mutual consensus to disengage from all friction areas in eastern Ladakh and the modalities for the same were discussed. It will be taken forward by both the sides, the sources added.
The military level talks between India and China at the Corps Commander-level ended on Monday, after almost 11 hours of marathon meeting, to resolve the border stand-off in eastern Ladakh.
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