Restrain frontline troops, resort to dialogue: Chinese military tells India

Zhang Shuili, spokesperson for the Western Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) made these remarks in response to a fierce physical fight that broke out between the Chinese and Indian Army on Monday.

The statement was published by the official Weibo account of the PLA Daily.

"The Indian troops had violated their promises and once again crossed the Line of Actual Control for illegal activities, and deliberately provoked and attacked the Chinese forces, thus triggering fierce physical conflicts between the two sides and causing casualties," said Zhang.

"We demand that the Indian side strictly restrain its frontline troops, immediately stop all infringement and provocative actions, and work together with China to return to the correct track of dialogue and negotiations to resolve the differences," said Zhang.

Chinese government's mouthpiece Global Times, in a report quoting a spokesman of the PLA accused India of becoming more and more aggressive in its various border disputes with its neighbours.

The article claimed that Indian government had 'staged this provocation' to divert attention from domestic problems such as the COVID-19 pandemic.  

At least 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel, were martyred during a "violent face-off" with Chinese forces along the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the Indian Army confirmed.

"Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of 15/16 June 2020. 17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the stand off location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries, taking the total that were killed in action to 20," the Indian Army said in a statement. "The Indian Army is firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation," the Army said.