China on Friday refuted speculation on detaining a few Indian soldiers after reports emerged that 10 troops had been freed from Chinese captivity following intense negotiations, PTI reported.
Tensions have surged between India and China after a violent face-off between troops of the two countries in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control on June 15. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the confrontation.
“As far as I know, China presently has not detained any Indian personnel,” Chinese foreign ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a media briefing in Beijing. Asked whether India had detained any Chinese personnel, Zhao said: “China and India are in a dialogue to resolve the matter on ground through diplomatic and military channels. I don’t have any information for you at the moment.”
Zhao’s remarks came following reports that the Chinese side had released 10 Indian soldiers after intense negotiations. Talks in three rounds were reportedly held between major generals of each side from June 16 to June 18, at Patrol Point 14 in Galwan Valley.
Seventy-six Indian soldiers were injured in the June 15 clash. China has not released the number of casualties on its side.
A Hindustan Times report quoted unidentified officials as saying that the soldiers were returned to the Indian side of the border on Thursday evening. India had on Thursday issued a statement that all its soldiers who were involved in the June 15 clash had been accounted for. The officials added that after the soldiers returned to the Indian side, they were sent for a medical examination.
“It is clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action,” the Indian Army had said in a statement on Thursday. An Army spokesperson had said the statement was in reference to the article “In China-India Clash, Two Nationalist Leaders with Little Room to Give” published in The New York Times on Wednesday.
The last time the Chinese military took Indian soldiers captive was in July 1962, three months before the Indo-China war began. The Chinese had proceeded to kill 36 Indian soldiers on October 20, the day the war started, The Week reported.
The Ministry of External Affairs has alleged that the face-off in Eastern Ladakh on June 15 was due to China’s attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the area. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on June 17 that while India desires peace, she is ready to give a “befitting reply” to external aggression.
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