China, India accuse each other of firing shots in tense border region
- Both sides deny that their soldiers fired first shots along Line of Actual Control in Himalayas since 1996 agreement
- But each side claims opposing troops were moving forward at the time of the incident
China and India have accused each other of firing shots on their disputed border, violating a 1996 no-fire agreement and further escalating military tensions in the Himalayan border region.
Zhang Shuili, a spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army’s Western Theatre Command, said on Tuesday morning that Indian troops had violated an earlier agreement by crossing the disputed western border – the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – at the strategic outpost of Pangong Tso on Monday.
The statement said Chinese troops had been “forced to take an emergency response to stabilise the situation at the scene” – without further elaboration – and demanded India immediately stop its “dangerous action” and withdraw its troops.
Zhang said Indian troops had fired an unspecified number of shots when Chinese troops arrived at the scene. “The action of the Indian side has seriously violated the bilateral agreement and escalated the tension in the region. It is a serious military provocation.”
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China says Indian forces crossed into Chinese territory
Hours later, India’s defence ministry denied its soldiers had fired any shots, but accused the Chinese side of opening fire in Monday’s clash. “It was the PLA troops who were attempting to close in with one of our forward positions along the LAC,” according to its statement.
New Delhi said PLA soldiers had fired “a few rounds in the air” in an attempt to intimidate their Indian counterparts. The statement criticised the Chinese troops’ “aggressive manoeuvres”.