Soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces march during the Victory Day Parade in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, June 24, 2020. (Host photo agency/Sergey Pyatakov via Reuters)
India-China Border Latest News Live Update: Indian and Chinese troops, along with contingents from other countries, participated in the Victory Day military parade in the Russian capital of Moscow on Wednesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the event, the 75th anniversary of the Victory Day celebration to mark the end of Second World War, along with his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe. Officials told The Indian Express the two would not hold discussions. Russia also ruled out mediating between the two countries, saying India and China did not need any kind of assistance to resolve their disputes.
Taking to Twitter, Singh said, “I am proud that a Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces is also participating in this parade.”
In other news, Army Chief General MM Naravane visited forward areas in Ladakh today, a day after he had met the soldiers, injured in the Galwan Valley clashes with Chinese troops on June 15, in Leh.
On Wednesday, a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs was also scheduled. The delegations for this meeting were to be led by diplomats from the foreign ministries of both countries for maintaining peace and tranquility along the borders.
Corps Commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies Monday agreed to disengage after a nearly 11-hour meeting at the Moldo border point, opposite Chushul. However, no timeline for the disengagement process was finalised.
Meanwhile, China Tuesday said reports that over 40 Chinese soldiers were killed in the standoff were “false information”. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian added, “China and India are resolving the issue on the group through military and diplomatic channels,” reported news agency PTI.
India-China border news live updates: An Indian Army convoy moves on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway at Gagangeer, northeast of Srinagar. (AP Photo)
Army personnel bury the mortal remains of Rajesh Orang during his funeral ceremony, at Belgoria village in Birbhum district of West Bengal, Friday, June 19, 2020. (PTI Photo)
Army Chief General MM Naravane inspects forward areas in Eastern Ladakh and reviews operational situation on ground
Here are a couple of pictures of Chinese troops participating in the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photos)
A Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces participates in the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia:
Don't miss our explainer on Victory Day: Victory Day marks the end of World War II and the victory of the Allied Forces in 1945. Adolf Hitler had shot himself on April 30. On May 7, German troops surrendered, which was formally accepted the next day, and came into effect on May 9, explains Krishn Kaushik. Read more here
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweets, "Attending the Victory Day Parade at Red Square in Moscow today to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Victory of the Soviet People in the great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. I am proud that a Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces is also participating in this parade," he says.
The Victory Day military parade is underway in Moscow, Russia. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is in the Russian capital to attend the 75th anniversary of the Victory Day celebration to mark the end of Second World War. His Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe is also attending the event. Indian and Chinese troops are participating in the parade, along with contingents from other countries.
The parade was to be held on May 9 but was postponed to June 24 due to Covid-19.
BJP president J P Nadda took to Twitter earlier this morning, saying the nation was "united and supportive" of the armed forces, and the "relaunch of the scion for the nth time can wait".
Real time intelligence, surveillance equipment must be available to field formations. We need to strategise for the future, including the modern manifestations of non-contact, non-kinetic warfare, writes Rakesh Sharma in an opinion column in The Indian Express.
With his Chinese counterpart watching via a video link, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the “leading voices of the world must be exemplars in every way” and that the “challenge today is not just one of concepts and norms, but equally of their practice”. Jaishankar was speaking at the Russia-India-China (RIC) foreign ministers’ virtual meeting. Read more here
Also watch: Air surveillance in Leh
Bilateral relations between India and China cannot progress unless there is peace on the borders and China recognises that India too has non-negotiable core concerns, aspirations and interests. The principle of equal and mutual security is fundamental. No country can have a veto on India’s relations with any other country or group of countries, writes Nalin Surie, a former ambassador to China and is currently Distinguished Fellow at the Delhi Policy Group.
Amid the ongoing border dispute between India and China, import consignments from the neighbouring country at ports such as Chennai and Mumbai are learnt to be facing hurdles, with clearances being held up by the Indian Customs authorities. The disruption in clearances is reported to have emerged over the last fortnight, even as there are no written or verbal instructions from the customs authorities or the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), three persons aware of the development said. Read Aanchal Magazine's report
The meeting between Corps Commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies ended Monday with “mutual consensus to disengage” with detailed discussions on the modalities of a sector-wise, stage-wise disengagement on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). But no timeline for the disengagement process was finalised at the meeting that lasted nearly 11 hours. Krishn Kaushik, Sushant Singh and Shubhajit Roy explain what happened at the meeting
Army Chief General MM Naravane is on a two-day visit to Ladakh. He is accompanied by Lt General YK Joshi, Northern Army Commander. On the first day, Tuesday, he visited injured soldiers at the Military Hospital. Today, he is scheduled to visit forward areas, and may speak to local commanders and troops on ground.