Chinese and Indian troops fight on the border, leaving numerous soldiers on both sides wounded

Indian and Chinese troops clashed on their disputed Himalayan border last week, leaving several injured on both sides, sources said on Monday.

Relations have hit rock bottom between the nuclear-armed Asian giants since a clash that left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers dead on their high-altitude border in June 2020.

The new incident on Dec. 9, which followed recent joint US-Indian military exercises near the border, led to “light injuries to (a) few personnel on both sides,” a source said.

Another source, from the Indian Army, said at least six Indian soldiers were injured.

Pictured: Indian soldiers pay their respects during the funeral of their comrade, special forces soldier Nyima Tenzin in Leh on September 7, 2020.

China has yet to officially comment.

The Chinese soldiers approached the area near the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, where it was agreed that neither side would patrol, the sources said.

This move was ‘contested by… the (Indian) troops firmly and resolutely’, the first source said.

After the skirmish, both sides “immediately withdrew from the area,” the source added.

An Indian commander later met with a Chinese counterpart “to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquility.”

The incident took place in the Tawang Sector of the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, all of which is claimed by China. Beijing refers to the area as southern Tibet.

Pictured: An Indian Army convoy carrying reinforcements and supplies drives towards Leh on a road bordering China on September 2, 2020 in Gagangir, India.

The first source said that there are ‘different perception areas, where both sides patrol the area to their lines of claim. This has been the trend since 2006.’

Indian media reports cited unnamed sources as saying the incident involved around 300 members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and China suffered a higher number of injuries.

Since the deadly hand-to-hand battle in 2020, both sides have sent thousands of troops to reinforce 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 north.

It was not clear if there were any injuries as a result of that incident, which was the first since September 2020.

The army source said there has been increased activity in Ladakh by the Chinese military, as well as “possible” airspace violation by the Chinese air force in the same area.

Pictured: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and army officers arriving in Leh, Ladakh, India on July 3, 2020. Modi visited with Indian army, air force and border police personnel. tibetan

This follows the anger of Beijing last month between India and the United States joint military exercises in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, which borders China.

The Chinese soldiers also displayed a banner opposing the Indo-US military exercises, the source said.

China and India fought a war in 1962 over their long and disputed border.

The exact path of the border, part of which is more than 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) above sea level, has never been demarcated.

Winter temperatures can drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit), cracking gun barrels and jamming machinery.

Even before the June 2020 standoff, India was strategically reaching out to the West, deepening security cooperation with the United States, Japan and Australia in the Asia-Pacific region.

Pictured: An Indian Army convoy carrying reinforcements and supplies heads towards Leh on a road bordering China on September 2, 2020 in Gagangir, India.

United by their concern over China’s growing influence in the region, together they make up the so-called Quad alliance.

India has also embarked on a $130 billion modernization of its military, including ordering attack helicopters from the United States and an anti-missile defense system from Russia.

In the aftermath of the 2020 standoff, India banned hundreds of mobile apps of Chinese origin, including the popular social media platform TikTok.

Chinese companies operating in India, including mobile phone maker Xiaomi and Huawei, have been raided by tax authorities.

Bilateral trade is still brisk though, at around $100 billion per year, but India imports far more from China than it exports there.