New Delhi (NVI): China has for the first time unveiled casualties and details of soldiers who died during a border clash with Indian troops in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in June 2020.
“Four Chinese soldiers, who were sacrificed in last June’s border conflict, were posthumously awarded honorary titles and first-class merit citations, the Central Military Commission (CMC) announced Friday,” China’s state-owned People’s Daily said.
“A colonel, who led them and seriously injured, was conferred with honorary title,” it added.
The Central Military Commission (CMC) revealed names of the soldiers who were killed in the clash for the first time.
Chen Hongjun was awarded the honorary title of ‘hero’ for defending national territory. Chen Xiangrong, Xiao Siyuan and Wang Zhuoran were awarded first-class merit citations.
The dead also included Qi Fabao, the regimental commander from the People’s Liberation Army’s Xinjiang Military Command, PLA Daily added.
India had confirmed the loss of 20 Indian soldiers shortly after the clashes on June 15 – soldiers who were honoured for their bravery with their names installed in memorials. While Beijing had acknowledged casualties but had never disclosed details.
The border row between India and China erupted in May last year and the stand-off escalated on June 15, when troops from the two sides clashed in Galwan Valley near Patrol Point 14.
The violent clash in Galwan marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in nearly 45 years.
After a nine-month standoff and multiple rounds of military talks, militaries of Indian and China reached an agreement earlier this month on disengagement in the north and south banks of Pangong lake that mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a “phased, coordinated and verifiable” manner.
-CHK
