Indian and Communist Chinese troops have completed their withdrawal from the disputed border lake area in the western Himalayas. The two countries confirmed this on Sunday (Feb. 21).
Earlier this month, military commanders from both countries agreed to begin withdrawing troops, tanks and artillery as the first step toward a full withdrawal.
On Saturday (Feb. 20), commanders of the two countries met to review the withdrawal, Reuters reported.
“The two sides positively assessed the successful completion of the withdrawal of frontline troops in the Bangong Lake area, noting that it was an important step forward and a good basis for resolving other remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control in the western sector,” the joint press release said.
On the evening of June 15 last year, the worst clashes between Chinese and Indian troops in 45 years erupted in the Galwan Valley in the western sector of the border, leaving at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. In the aftermath, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has refrained from announcing the number of dead and wounded on the Chinese side. Only this week did the Communist Party’s military newspaper report that in June last year, the regimental commander Qi Fa Bao was seriously wounded; battalion commander Chen Hongjun and soldiers Chen Xiangrong, Xiao Siyuan and Wang Zhuo Ran died in the clashes between the two sides.
According to Indian officers showing photos taken by border soldiers, it was revealed that Chinese communist soldiers used wolfsbane (rusted steel welded nails) to launch attacks during that clash, while India returned fire with rocks and the like.
Subsequently, border tensions between the two countries escalated. On August 29 and 30 last year, clashes between India and China broke out again at Bangong Lake.
At a Time when Sino-Indian relations have taken a sharp turn for the worse, mainland-made products and software are being boycotted by Indian officials and civilians across the board.
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a new notification in late January that made permanent the ban on TikTok and 58 other mainland apps announced in June 2020. The Times of India reported at the time that the Indian government initially imposed the ban by giving the 59 apps a chance to explain their position on compliance with privacy and security requirements.
Recent Comments