Statements released by Chinese and Indian authorities has said that both countries have agreed to mutually disengage from the disputed Himalaya region after a brawl between soldiers from both sides led to the death of at least 20 Indian soldiers. The deadly skirmish took place on June 15 after unsuspecting Indian troops encountered Chinese soldiers at the Ladakh region of the Galwan Valley where the Indians believed Chinese soldiers shouldn’t have been present. According to the Indian Army, “commander-level talks ... were held at Moldo,” where both sides reached a constructive and amicable understanding to pull out of the region. The mutual agreement was achieved at the first meeting between military commanders from both countries since the Galwan Valley deadly brawl on June 15. Indian military personnel said the Chinese were armed with clubs embedded with nails and barbed wire and hunted down fleeing Indian soldiers on the mountain sides. The fight had reportedly lasted for about six hours and, Indian soldiers said, the Chinese side outnumbered Indian soldiers 500 to 100. India had announced that 20 of its soldiers died but China still hasn’t released any official casualty figures. China is believed to go as far as erasing casualty information from their records. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he believes China lost no less than forty soldiers due to the Galwan Valley skirmish. However, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, denied the claims of India’s Prime Minister. “I can tell you responsibly that it is false information,” he said at a daily briefing. Zhao confirmed that both sides had a fruitful talk over the incidence and has agreed to “take necessary measures to cool down the situation.” On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in physical fights with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley close to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau claimed by India. It was the deadliest clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades, although China has not said whether it suffered any casualties. The Galwan River is to the west of China's 1956 claim line in Aksai Chin. However, in 1960 China advanced its claim line to the west of the river along the mountain ridge adjoining the Shyok river valley. Meanwhile, India continued to claim the entire Aksai Chin plateau. The assessment from U.S. intelligence reveals that China ordered the bloody skirmish in the contested border region last week. Gen. Zhao Zongqi, head of the Western Theater Command and among the few combat veterans still serving in the People's Liberation Army, approved the operation along the contested border region of northern India and southwestern China, an anonymous source familiar with the assessment told the US News. Zhao, who has overseen prior standoffs with India, has previously expressed concerns that China must not appear weak to avoid exploitation by the United States and its allies, including in New Delhi, the source says, and saw the faceoff last week as a way to "teach India a lesson."
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