Several people were hurt on both sides last week during a new "face-off" between Indian and Chinese troops along their disputed Himalayan frontier, according to sources on Monday.
Following previous joint military drills between the U.S. and India close to the border, a new incident occurred on Dec. 9 that resulted in "minor injuries to (a) few personnel from both sides". Since a battle on their high-altitude border in June 2020 that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese forces, relations between the nuclear-armed Asian superpowers have been at an all-time low.
The de facto boundary area where it was agreed that neither side would patrol was approached by Chinese soldiers. These actions were contested by ... (Indian) troops in a firm and resolute manner."
A Chinese and an Indian commander later met "to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquility", based on the meeting's minutes. The incident occurred in the Chinese-claimed Tawang Sector in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. South Tibet is how Beijing refers to the region.
The first source claimed that since 2006, there have been "areas of differing perception, wherein both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines." Unnamed sources were cited in Indian media reports as saying that the incident involved about 300 members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and that China sustained more injuries.
Another "face-off" between Indian and Chinese forces reportedly took place in the northern Ladakh district of Demchok during the last week of November. Each side has dispatched thousands of troops to the border since the fatal hand-to-hand conflict in 2020. Numerous meetings have taken place, but tensions have not much decreased.
It wasn't known if the incident, which was the first since September 2020, resulted in any injuries. Chinese military activity in Ladakh has intensified, and there may have been an airspace violation by the Chinese air force in the same region.
This comes after joint military drills between India and the United States last month in the Chinese bordering state of Uttarakhand in northern India, which infuriated Beijing. According to the source, the Chinese soldiers also displayed a banner denouncing the Indo-US military drills.
In 1962, a battle broke out between China and India over a lengthy and contentious border. There has never been a precise delineation of the border's route, some of which is more than 4,000 meters above sea level. Wintertime lows of - 30 degrees Celsius can shatter gun barrels and freeze machinery.
The tax authorities have seized Chinese companies with operations in India, including Huawei and Xiaomi, makers of mobile phones. Bilateral trade remains brisk, though, at roughly $100 billion each year, but with India importing from China significantly more than it exports there.
