India & China foreign ministers may engage within a week of LAC clash, at RIC virtual meet

Twenty Indian Army personnel including a Colonel were martyred in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night - an event that was called the biggest such escalation since 1975 from almost as soon as news broke, first involving the martyrdom of 3 Indian Army personnel. Tensions between the two countries have escalated as the Chinese side had departed from the 'consensus' to respect the LAC in the Galway Valley, but insists on blaming India for the same while remaining tight-lipped about casualties on its own side. Amid this, a key meeting - a virtual trilateral RIC (Russia, India, China) of Foreign Ministers - is slated for June 22, sources said.

No official confirmation from MEA yet

Sources on the Russian side have confirmed that EAM Dr S Jaishankar will participate in the meeting though there is no official confirmation from the Ministry of External Affairs yet. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to attend the meeting, sources added. The meeting on June 22 was scheduled to be held in March but had to be postponed due to the coronavirus crisis.

If Jaishankar participates in the meeting, this would be the first time he will be interacting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi since the stand-off along the LAC became public. 

20 Indian soldiers martyred, estimated 43 casualties on Chinese side 

The Indian Army on Tuesday issued an official statement on the violent face-off that took place on June 15 at the Line of Actual Control. It mentioned that both sides had disengaged at the Galwan area. Moreover, it added that 17 more troops who were critically injured in the line of duty had succumbed to their injuries. This has propelled the number of Indian Army personnel martyred at the LAC to 20.

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China has not released any information on the casualties suffered by the People's Liberation Army soldiers during the violent face-off in eastern Ladakh, with prominent journalist at Chinese state-run media reporting that the Xi government would not be doing so as a goodwill gesture to avoid the comparison of casualty numbers on both sides. While at least 20 Indians soldiers were martyred, ANI, quoting certain chatter, suggests 43 casualties including dead and injured from the Chinese side. The US, and the United Nations have taken note of the clash.

READ | UN chief urges India, China to exercise restraint after violent face-off at Galwan valley

The face-off happened on late evening and night of June 15 in Ladakh's Galwan Valley as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to "unilaterally change" the status quo during de-escalation in Eastern Ladakh.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held a high-level meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah in the evening where he carried out a comprehensive review of the situation in eastern Ladakh where the two armies have been in a standoff for over five weeks. A number of key such meetings were held, involving the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Raksha Mantri, the CDS and the three service Chiefs.

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(With agency inputs)