New Delhi: Chinese defence and foreign ministry spokespersons said Beijing was compelled to come out with information on the heroic deeds of five PLA soldiers in combat with India at the Galwan Valley because it was necessary for the truth to come out, indicating heavily that India had twisted the narrative.
Indian has repeatedly hyped up casualties, distorted the truth, misled international public opinion, and slandered Chinese border troops, said the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, speaking to China Military Online, a few hours after Chinese state media broke news of Beijing honouring soldiers killed in the Galwan clash.
China Military Online is sponsored by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and had sought Defense spokesperson, Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang’s comments on the reports of China admitting – for the first time – that it had suffered casualties in the June 2020 clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers.
Two state-affiliated media outlets, People’s Daily and Global Times had reported that the Central Military Commission had rewarded five PLA soldiers for their bravery at the standoff.
Ren said in the recent fight to “safeguard China’s national territorial sovereignty,” many members of the service have displayed their heroism. The senior colonel said it was Indian troops who had transgressed the border and triggered a physical fight.
“It should be noted that since last June, Indian troops illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for deliberate provocation, and even violently attacked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went there for negotiation, thus intentionally triggering the fierce physical conflict at the Galwan Valley and causing casualties on both sides. The responsibility of the skirmish at the Galwan Valley lies entirely with the Indian side.”
Ren’s statement is in line with the claims made in Chinese media on Indian aggression. As The Wire has noted, the language used by Global Times – “the responsibility of the deadly skirmish in the Galwan Valley falls on the Indian military”- almost entirely mirror’s the Chinese Defense spokesperson’s.
India has maintained that China was the instigator when it came to the violent face-off on June 15, 2020.
Ren said that the Chinese army had attempted to ease the situation with a degree of high restraint, “which reflects China’s manner as a responsible power.”
“However, the Indian side has repeatedly hyped up the casualties, distorted the truth, misled international public opinion, and slandered the Chinese border troops,” he said.
Ultimately, answering the question on what the purpose of such a reveal was, Ren said:
“History cannot be tampered with, and heroes cannot be forgotten. Public coverage of the heroic deeds of Chinese border troops by the Chinese media is the responsibility of the media to objectively tell the facts. It is conducive to clarifying the truth and letting the world see the rights and wrongs.”
The spokesperson also said that soldiers who had died in combat would receive adequate pension and their families will “get proper arrangement and care.”
The defence spokesperson’s account goes hand-in-hand with what China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said when asked why China chose to reveal the casualties suffered during the Galwan incident after over eight months.
“The report has been revealed to give the truth to the public because the truth is long awaited and is necessary for the people to know the true story,” Hua said.
“These heroes will be remembered by the Chinese people. Their sacrifices made to defend our territory will never be forgotten by the Chinese people…We all know that conflict broke out in Galwan in June last year and responsibility does not rest with Chinese side,” Hua claimed.
After completing the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of Pangong lake, India and China will hold a fresh round of high-level military talks on Saturday to take forward the disengagement process in Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh.
“We hope the border issue will be put in a proper place in our bilateral relations. We hope to work with the Indian side to properly resolve the issue and uphold the general picture and the interests of the bilateral ties,” Hua added.
“India is an important neighbour of China and restoring a healthy stable relationship is the aspiration and also in the interest of the two peoples. I hope the Indian side will work with us towards achieving this shared goal,” she said