Chinese side didn’t release number of PLA casualties in clash with Indian soldiers. My understanding is the Chinese side doesn’t want people of the two countries to compare the casualties number so to avoid stoking public mood. This is goodwill from Beijing.
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) June 16, 2020
A clash between soldiers on the Indian-Chinese border in the Kashmir Region has left 20 Indian soldiers dead. China has declined to release official casualty numbers as a sign of “goodwill.”
The clash is still shrouded in mystery as neither side has released very many details about the cause of the skirmish.
The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said India had crossed the border into China twice on Monday, “provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides”, AFP news agency reported.
The Indian government accuses China of trying to unilaterally “change the status quo” along the border.
Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that the Indian government still maintains that no gunfire was exchanged between the two sides.
Whatever happened, this is the most dangerous escalation between two of the largest nuclear powers in the world. And tensions remain high.
The editor of Chinese state-run media outlet Global Times Hu Xijin, tweeted yesterday, “I want to tell the Indian side, don’t be arrogant and misread China’s restraint as being weak. China doesn’t want to have a clash with India, but we don’t fear it.”
Xijin often serves as an unofficial spokesperson for the Chinese Communist Party.