New Delhi: For the first time, China today said four Chinese soldiers and one commander died during a Himalayan border clash with Indian troops in June 2020, adding that the men were given posthumous awards.
The Central Military Commission awarded Qi Fabao, the regimental commander from the PLA Xinjiang Military Command, the title of ‘Hero regimental commander for defending the border,’ Chen Hongjun with ‘Hero to defend the border,’ and awarded first-class merit to Chen Xiangrong, Xiao Siyuan and Wang Zhuoran.
This is the first time China has unveiled casualties and details of these officers and soldiers, four of whom died when dealing with the Indian military’s illegal trespassing of the Galwan Valley Line of Actual Control (LAC).
India and China witnessed a prolonged border row that erupted in May last year and after their troops clashed in June in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. The clash happened along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) where rival soldiers were caught in a stand-off that began with a confrontation between rival patrols near Pangong Tso on the night of 5-6 May.
China and India have blamed each other for the skirmish in the Galwan valley, during which soldiers fought each other with nail-studded clubs and stones. India has previously said 20 of its soldiers died in the clash, while Beijing had acknowledged casualties but had not disclosed details.