‘No fear of sacrifice’: China-India border clash survivor doubles down on sovereignty line

Name: Who has the upper hand in the India-China border dispute?
Uploaded: 2021-06-12T13:00:00.000Z
Duration: 6 min 15 s
Description: Who has the upper hand in the India-China border dispute?

Chinese commander wounded in Galwan Valley says soldiers would rather die than lose an inch of territory

Relations between the two countries are at a crossroads nearly a year after the incident, Indian foreign minister says

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Chinese troops maintain watch on Himalayan border areas. Photo: Weibo

Teddy Ng

Published: 9:00pm, 12 Jun 2021Updated: 9:36pm, 12 Jun 2021

Nearly a year after a deadly clash on its border with India, China has reasserted its claims to the area, with a survivor of the confrontation saying he was willing to give his life to safeguard the country’s sovereignty.

In a ceremony to commemorate military martyrs on Friday, Qi Fabao, a Chinese regimental commander who sustained head wounds in the attack, said he was not afraid of making the sacrifice.

“If the army is compared to a sharp sword, then the blood of the soldier is the edge. We have no fear of sacrifice, and always hold the belief that we would rather sacrifice our lives than lose an inch of our territory,” state broadcaster CCTV quoted him as saying on Friday.

“We will march forward in battle, and go forward courageously. Go forward and die … This is the determination of the frontier soldiers to serve the country.”

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Who has the upper hand in the India-China border dispute?

Qi, from the People’s Liberation Army Xinjiang military command, was wounded in the clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15. Four Chinese soldiers and at least 20 Indian military personnel were killed in the confrontation.