Published 10:47 IST, June 17th 2020
China won't disclose casualties in clash with India out of 'goodwill': Mouthpiece editor
Editor of Chinese state-run media said that the Xi Jinping government was refraining from sharing casualty numbers of Chinese troops as a gesture of 'goodwill'
Editor-in-chief of Chinese state-run media Global Times on Tuesday said that the Xi Jinping-run government was refraining from sharing casualty numbers of Chinese troops regarding the violent face-off in Ladakh in a bid to avoid 'stoking public mood.' Hu Xijin, Global Times Editor-in-Chief remarked that Beijing did not want to compare casualty numbers of the two countries post the violent clashes as a sign of 'goodwill'.
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. While at least 20 Indians soldiers were martyred, ANI, quoting certain sources, suggests 43 casualties including dead and injured from the Chinese side.
Earlier, after India first revealed there had been 3 casualties among Indian soldiers, Chinese mouthpiece journalists had given first estimates, stating 5 Chinese soldiers had died. At this point, China's Global Times issued the following tweet betraying its panic:
China's authoritarian decision to not announce its casualty count would perhaps not be allowed anywhere else in the world. In India, meanwhile, the event has triggered large-scale internal politics as well, with the Opposition demanding a clear statement as to what is going on at the LAC.
'China attempted to change status quo'
Chinese media sources while quoting Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the Western Theater Command of PLA has stated that "Indian border troops seriously violated accords between the two countries."
Meanwhile, India's Ministry of External Affairs while issuing an official statement on the matter alleged that China "unilaterally attempted to change the status quo" at the Galwan valley. In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava, said, "On the late-evening and night of 15th June 2020 a violent face-off happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there. Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side."
Updated 10:47 IST, June 17th 2020