China denies holding any Indian soldiers captive
China has refuted a report which claims that Indian soldiers were detained by the Chinese troop.
Tension between China and India has soared after the recent June 15 face-offs in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control between the troops of the two nuclear-armed countries.
About 20 Indian soldiers were killed and Seventy-six were injured in the face-offs in which no firearms were used due to the 1966 agreement between the two countries that prohibited use of explosives and guns along the disputed border.
The encounter was reportedly caused by China’s attempt to change the status quo at the border.
Zhao Lijian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson in a press briefing on Friday June 19, 2020, said, “As far as I know, China presently has not detained any Indian personnel.”
Zhao was asked whether India troop has any Chinese soldier detained, and he responded in a rather indirect manner saying that China and India are on the talks and are willing to solve the matter diplomatically.
“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 said.
In a statement released on Thursday by the Indian army, it was revealed that that there are no Indian soldiers missing in action.
“It is clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action,” the statement reads.
1962 was the last time that the Chinese troops held Indian soldiers captive, and about thirty-six Indian soldiers were killed.
This happened just three months before the war between the two nations broke out.