Mere days after China and India ostensibly agreed to defuse tensions at Line of Actual Control, soldiers engaged in a violent faceoff that reportedly led to the death of 20 Indian and 40 Chinese soldiers. The confrontation occurred at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where the soldiers have been engaged in a standoff since early May.
The LAC lies in the heavily disputed border area of the Kashmir region, claimed by both India and China. Both sides’ claims rest on two proposed borderlines dating back to the British Raj, one accepting different lines.
The standoff (according to Indian Authorities) started due to the building of a tent and an outpost by China on the Indian side of the border that led to a confrontation between the two, followed by the Chinese soldiers starting a scuffle. China still continues to assert that India was at fault and lay the seeds of this violent standoff, the first in many years, although the country hasn’t provided any details.
Read Also: Healthy volunteers in the UK needed for COVID-19 vaccine human trials
The video showed soldiers partaking in a scuffle and attacking each other with batons and sticks. No shots were fired as a long-standing agreement obliges both nations to not operate any firearm in a radius of 2 kilometers on both sides of the separation line.
The current tensions are highly likely to be a factor for countries like Russia and the United States, according to a report by the Indian publication, The Hindu. Russia has reportedly started to engage in private talks with Chinese officials to defuse the tension.
The Way Forward
It is a matter of great concern and apprehension for both nations, whose top military commanders are purportedly set to meet this week.
What can only be described as a coincidence is that India is now a member of the United Nations Security Council. With China being a permanent member (and perhaps the only obstacle in the permanent membership of India), the two sides are sure to be on the warpath as tensions escalate.
Do you want to publish on Apple News, Google News, and more? Join our writing community, improve your writing skills, and be read by hundreds of thousands around the world!
