The Chinese army statement claims sovereignty over Galwan Valley and does not disclose the number of casualties

• The clashes between Indian and Chinese forces have resulted in casualties on both the sides.
• While the Indian Army reported that 20 soldiers were killed during the clashes, China has not revealed the number of casualties.
• The PLA in a statement claimed sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region and blamed India for the clashes.

India and China are currently embroiled in a border dispute that has resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and several are reported to have been injured. While China has not revealed the casualties on its side, the Indian Army in its statement had said that there have been casualties on both sides.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Western Theatre Command that overlooks the borders with India in a statement claimed sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region and accused the Indian forces of violating agreements that led to the violent clashes.

In a statement to Global Times, PLA Western Theatre Command’s spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili said that Indian troops “broke their promises and again crossed the line of actual control in the Galwan Valley region on Monday evening and purposely launched provocative attacks, leading to severe clashes and casualties.”

China claims sovereignty over Galwan Valley

Claiming sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region, Shuili said, “China always owns sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region, and the Indian border defense troops are inconsistent with their words and seriously violated the agreements both countries have reached, the consensus made during the army commander-level talks and harmed the relations of the two militaries and the feelings of the two countries' peoples.”

"We ask India to strictly discipline its frontline troops, stop infringing and provocative activity at once, work with China and come back to the right track of resolving the differences through dialogue & talk," Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said.

"From the Chinese side, we do not wish to see more clashes," he further added.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs in an earlier statement had said, “Given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. We expect the same of the Chinese side.”

"China moved troops to occupy areas where not only Indian and Chinese claim lines overlapped but also where there was no dispute." said Brahma Chellaney, a professor for strategic studies at the Centre for Policy Research, referring to the Galwan Valley as the area without any dispute.

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