Soldiers from India and China have been engaged in a bitter border standoff and bilateral ties have almost frozen after 20 Indian Army soldiers and an unconfirmed number of Chinese PLA troops were killed in the deadly Galwan valley, eastern Ladakh border clash.
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Indian media has consistently alleged that between 30 – 45 Chinese PLA troops were killed in the border clashes at Galwan valley but there was no official word either from India or the Chinese government.
The Chinese media has not reported on the number of casualties on the Chinese side. However, Global Times reporter Wang Wenwen had once tweeted and confirmed that five Chinese soldiers were killed and 11 injured in violent clashes without firing.
But she later deleted the tweet and said in a new tweet – I cited an Indian source of @NewsLineIFE about a physical clash at the LAC China-India border yesterday.
No confirmation from the official Chinese source regarding casualties yet. It is unprofessional for Indian media to say this is official news from the Chinese side. @IndiaToday
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Later, Global Times editor Hu Shijin posted on Twitter and Weibo that according to his understanding, Chinese soldiers have also ‘suffered damage’ in the skirmish but did not provide any numbers.
Hu wrote on Twitter on June 16 in English and Weibo on June 17, “17 injured Indian soldiers reportedly died due to lack of in-time rescue, which reflects the serious flaws of the Indian army to provide emergency treatment to the wounded. This is not an army with real modern combat capabilities at a plateau. Indian public opinion needs to stay sober. “
China has been tightlipped about its casualties in the Galwan valley clash against Indian troops. Recently, a Chinese netizen was arrested after he was accused of spreading misinformation over the death of Chinese PLA soldiers in the Galwan valley clash.
The netizen (Zhou), according to China Military Online, blamed “the poor quality of military vehicles supplied by the Dongfeng for the casualties of Chinese soldiers during the China-India border clash.
On August 3, after learning that Zhou had posted details on the death of Chinese soldiers on his WeChat and claimed that internal corruption of the Dongfeng Company had led to the poor quality of its military vehicles resulting in the casualties of Chinese soldiers – the Dongfeng Company promptly reported the matter to the local police.
Zhou was later arrested and reportedly admitted to his crime of rumor-mongering, displayed guilt, and penned an apology letter, claims the Chinese reports.
According to experts talking to the EurAsian Times, the official figures of Chinese PLA troops killed in border clashes may never come out.
The Indian media claim that 30-40 Chinese soldiers have been killed, while there has never been an official statement either from Indian or the Chinese government.
On consistent Indian media provocations, China later broke its silence and called the Indian media reports as “fake news” as they were propagating that over 40 Chinese soldiers were killed in the face-off in eastern Ladakh.
