How Many Chinese Soldiers Were Killed In The India-China Clash At Galwan Valley / Ladakh?

By
EurAsian Times Desk
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India lost 20 soldiers in Galwan Valley / Ladakh border clash, but how many Chinese soldiers were killed in violent border clash? The Chinese government has not yet revealed the number of casualties suffered by the People’s Liberation Army during the Galwan Valley clash, however media reports reveal some details.

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Sources in the Indian government are citing ‘some’ U.S. intelligence reports which claim that 35 Chinese soldiers were killed during the violent clash with the Indian army. The figure, however, is a combination of a total number of soldiers killed and wounded.

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Government sources revealed to media that the Chinese side suffered “proportionate casualties” but it does not have a clear picture of the number of Chinese soldiers killed as well as those injured in the clash.

India Today journalist Rajdeep Sardesai wrote that ANI claimed based on “Chinese intercepts” that “43 Chinese soldiers [were] killed in the clashes”. He further wrote that there hasn’t been any confirmation from the Chinese side.

Another figure was shared by Times Now as ‘breaking news’ on June 17 — “China accepts 30 soldiers have been killed during the Ladakh standoff” —  citing Global Times. The tweets were later deleted as they turned out to be fake.

The Chinese government has not disclosed the number of fatalities on their side. The Editor-in-Chief of  Global Times accepted the casualties but did not reveal any figures.

Hu tweeted – Chinese side didn’t release number of PLA casualties in clash with Indian soldiers. My understanding is the Chinese side doesn’t want people of the two countries to compare the casualties number so to avoid stoking public mood. This is goodwill from Beijing.

BBC wrote – China has not released casualty figures. Unconfirmed reports in Indian media say at least 40 Chinese soldiers died. Some Indian soldiers are still believed to be missing. Earlier PM Modi said the Indian deaths “will not be in vain” and that India would be “proud that our soldiers died fighting the Chinese” in the clash in the Ladakh region on Monday.

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CNN Wrote: At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a bloody brawl with Chinese troops on Monday in the Galwan Valley, close to Aksai Chin, an area controlled by China but claimed by both countries. It is unclear if or how many Chinese soldiers died.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke out in favour of a diplomatic resolution to the India-China border conflict in his phone call with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar. Wang said “mutual suspicion and friction are the way of evil and run counter to the fundamental wishes of both countries’ people,” according to a statement released by China’s foreign ministry.

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Analysts for Al Jazeera wrote – The intensified tensions along the Indian and Chinese border in Ladakh has exposed that India was “ill-prepared to deal with an assertive China”.

“India has a government that claims to be strong against its enemy, but New Delhi has been shown and exposed as weak. What they promised was a strong India, but what they got was an Indian army that ill-prepared to deal with an assertive China,” he said.

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According to experts talking to the EurAsian Times, the official figures of Chinese soldiers killed in border clashes will never come out. The Indian media count will continue to claim 45 Chinese soldiers have been killed, while there will never be an official statement from Indian or the Chinese government.

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