At least 20 Indian soldiers died as a result of an armed confrontation with Chinese forces at the so-called Line of Actual Control (LAC) on 15 June. The situation remains tense at the border, despite both sides calling for deescalation.
The latest clash at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border between China and India in the disputed Aksai Chin or Ladakh region, has once again put two nuclear nations at the edge of armed conflict.
Both New Delhi and Beijing are drawing additional forces to the de-facto border in the event that new clashes emerge, with both nations accusing each other for being responsible for the escalation of tensions. At the same time, the two sides agreed to discuss the matter in a bid to prevent further deterioration of the situation in Aksai Chin.
What Happened?
The exact nature of the incident that led to clashes between the Indian and Chinese military remains unclear. Beijing accused Indian soldiers of crossing the LAC on 15 June in the Galwan Valley part of the Ladakh region, and attacking Chinese forces. The head of India's ruling nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suggested instead that there was a “face off” between the troops as a result of China's concerns for India's efforts at building infrastructure on its side of the LAC.
As a result of the armed conflict some 20 Indian soldiers were killed, according to government data, many of them due to complications caused by harsh local environment, which features…
