According to officials, scores of Indian and Chinese soldiers had been involved in a tense face-off along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s sensitive Tawang sector last week. The latest confrontation comes at a time when both sides are planning to hold the next round of military talks to cool tensions in the Ladakh sector.
The source further revealed that rival patrols came face-to-face in a contested area near Yangtse, with the soldiers asking each other to retreat to their respective sides. And this is when the confrontation took place.
“The face-off lasted a few hours before the matter was resolved at the level of local commanders,” said a second official.
“Both sides undertake patrolling activities up to their perception of the border. Whenever patrols of both sides physically meet, the situation is managed according to established protocols and mechanisms. Physical engagement can last for a few hours prior to disengaging as per mutual understanding. This is routine business,” he said.
The Chinese foreign ministry, however, denied having any “relevant information” about the skirmish.
“I am not aware of relevant information,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular media briefing.
This is the second incident in the last couple of weeks after Chinese patrols consisting of around 100 soldiers crossed LAC in the central sector in Uttarakhand on August 30 and damaged a footbridge before they went back to the other side. The area in which the intrusion took place is manned by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
Last week, Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said that the next round of military talks with the Chinese PLA to reduce tensions along LAC in eastern Ladakh could take place in the second week of October.
