China-India border dispute: ‘at least one Chinese soldier killed’ in June brawl
- Editor of nationalist tabloid Global Times claims China’s death toll was ‘far smaller than India’s’
- It’s the first time state media has acknowledged any casualties in the incident, while Beijing has declined to say how many troops died
At least one Chinese soldier was killed in a deadly border clash with Indian troops three months ago, according to state media, the first time it has acknowledged any casualties in the incident.
Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of nationalist tabloid Global Times, wrote in a Weibo post on Thursday that: “Certain of our soldiers fought until the last breath … let’s pay tribute to the soul of the martyr.”
The newspaper, which is published by Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily, also ran a report on the soldier quoting Hu.
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“China’s death toll is far smaller than India’s … but of course, even just one deceased is a great loss,” Hu wrote.
China’s defence ministry and foreign ministry have both previously confirmed that there were casualties on the Chinese side but have declined to say how many.
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Hu also said the People’s Liberation had suffered damage and losses at the beginning of the clash because they were outnumbered in a surprise attack, but he claimed that “not a single soldier was captured”. He said when reinforcements arrived, they fought back and captured Indian troops.
Hu noted that many of the PLA’s frontline border troops were in their 20s or younger.
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As the stand-off continues, Chinese border troops have reportedly been playing Punjabi songs from India on loudspeakers in the Pangong Lake area between Indian-controlled Ladakh and Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin.
Similarly, the PLA also played Bollywood songs on loudspeakers before the two countries fought a brief border war in 1962.
The Chinese tactic could be an attempt to distract the Indian troops and to show that they have an understanding of the country’s language and culture, according to an India Today report on Thursday.
But the Global Times, in a separate report, said the idea of playing music familiar to the adversary was taken from the decisive Battle of Gaixia in 202BC China, and was an effort to demoralise.
The famous battle between Han and Chu forces saw Han troops “ambush from 10 sides” to surround the Chu camps, and they then sang “Chu songs from four sides” to break the spirit of the Chu and eventually claim victory.