China and India blame each other for incident

New Delhi. India’s Defense Ministry accused China yesterday, December 13, of trying to “unilaterally change the status quo” on its disputed Himalayan border last week, when clashes broke out that left both sides injured.

“On December 9, 2022, PLA troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo by encroaching on the Line of Actual Control,” Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said, referring to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the de facto border.

The Chinese military countered that the clashes occurred when Indian troops illegally crossed the border in the Himalayas.

Chinese troops “were obstructed by the Indian army which illegally crossed the Line (of Actual Control),” a Chinese army spokesman said.

“From what we know, the situation on the China-India border is generally stable,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters.

An Indian army source said that at least six Indian soldiers were injured in that clash.

Singh said that local commanders from both sides held a meeting on December 11 in which they discussed the incident.

China and India fought a war in 1962 over control of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims in its entirety and considers part of Tibet.