2020–2021 China–India skirmishes

China–India skirmishes
Part of the Sino-Indian border dispute
A CIA map of Kashmir with red circles marking the rough locations of the conflicts near the Galwan Valley (top), the Hot Springs checkpoint (middle), and Pangong Tso (bottom).
Date 5 May 2020 – present Location Line of Actual Control (LAC), Sino-Indian border Status Ongoing
Belligerents
India	China
Commanders and leaders
Ram Nath Kovind (President of India) Narendra Modi (Prime Minister of India) Rajnath Singh (Defence Minister of India) Gen Bipin Rawat (Chief of Defence Staff) Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane (Chief of the Army Staff) ACM Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria (Chief of the Air Staff) Lt Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi (GOC-in-C, Northern Command) AM Balakrishnan Suresh (AOC-in-C, Western Air Command) Lt Gen Harinder Singh (GOC, XIV Corps) Maj Gen Abhijit Bapat (GOC, 3rd Infantry Division) Air Cdre. Subroto Kundu (AOC Leh) Col Vijay Rana (WIA) (C.O. 11 Mahar Regiment) Col Santosh Babu (KIA) (C.O. 16 Bihar Regiment)	Xi Jinping (CCP General Secretary, President and CMC chairman) Air Force Gen. Xu Qiliang (CMC vice-chairman) Gen. Zhang Youxia (CMC vice-chairman) Gen. Wei Fenghe (Minister of National Defense) Gen. Li Zuocheng (Chief of the CMC Joint Staff) Gen. Han Weiguo (Commander, PLA Ground Force) Air Force Gen. Ding Laihang (Commander, PLA Air Force) Gen. Zhao Zongqi (Commander, PLA Western Theater Command) Air Force Lt. Gen. Wang Qiang (Deputy Commander, PLA Western Theater Command and Commander, PLA Air Force Western Theater Command) Lt. Gen. Xu Qiling (Commander, PLA Ground Force Western Theater Command) Maj. Gen. Liu Lin (Commander, PLA Ground Force South Xinjiang Military District)
Units involved
Indian Armed Forces Indian Army Northern Command Indian Air Force Indo-Tibetan Border Police	People's Liberation Army PLA Ground Force Western Theater Command PLA Air Force
Casualties and losses
Indian sources: On 15 June: 20 died 76 injured (18 serious, 58 minor injuries) 10 captured (released on 18 June) On 10 May: 4 injured	Indian sources: On 15 June: 43 killed Unspecified numbers captured (later released) On 10 May: 7 injured Other sources: 35 died (15 June, per U.S. intelligence reports)

The 2020 China–India skirmishes are part of an ongoing military standoff between China and India. Since 5 May 2020, Chinese and Indian troops have reportedly engaged in aggressive actions, face-offs and skirmishes at locations along the Sino-Indian border, including near the disputed Pangong Lake in Ladakh and the Tibet Autonomous Region, and near the border between Sikkim and the Tibet Autonomous Region. Additional clashes are ongoing at locations in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that has persisted since the 1962 Sino-Indian War.

In late May, Chinese forces objected to Indian road construction in the Galwan River valley. According to Indian sources, fighting on 15/16 June 2020 resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers (including an officer) and casualties among 43 Chinese soldiers (including the death of an officer). Several news outlets stated that 10 Indian soldiers, including 4 officers, were taken captive and then released by the Chinese on 18 June.

Amid the standoff, India reinforced the region with 12,000 additional workers who would help with completing the development of Indian infrastructure. The first train with over 1,600 workers left Jharkhand, on 14 June 2020, for Udhampur, from where they will go on to assist India's Border Roads Organisation at the Sino-Indian border. Experts have postulated that the standoffs are Chinese pre-emptive measures in responding to the Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road infrastructure project in Ladakh. The Chinese have also extensively developed their infrastructure in these disputed border regions. China's territory grabbing technique, also referred to as 'salami slicing', involves encroaching upon small parts of enemy territory over a large period of time.

The revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019, by the Indian government has also troubled the Chinese. However, India and China have both maintained that there are enough bilateral mechanisms to resolve the situation through quiet diplomacy. Following the Galwan Valley skirmish on 15 June, numerous Indian government officials said that border tensions will not impact trade between India and China despite some Indian campaigns about boycotting Chinese products. However, in the following days, various types of action were taken on the economic front including cancellation and additional scrutiny of certain contracts with Chinese firms, and calls were also made to stop the entry of the Chinese into strategic markets in India such as the telecom sector. However much of this was protest restricted to publicity stunts and social media appeals.

Background

China has land and water disputes with Bhutan, Taiwan, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Nepal.

The border between China and India is disputed at 20 different locations. Since the 1980s, there have been over 20 rounds of talks between the two countries related to these border issues. A study by the Observer Research Foundation points out that only 1 to 2 per cent of border incidents between 2010 and 2014 received any form of media coverage. In 2019, India reported over 660 LAC violations and 108 aerial violations by the People's Liberation Army which were significantly higher than the number of incidents in 2018. There is "no publicly available map depicting the Indian version of the LAC," and the Survey of India maps are the only evidence of the official border for India. The Chinese version of the LAC mostly consists of claims in the Ladakh region, but China also claims Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India. In 2013, Indian diplomat Shyam Saran claimed that India had lost 640 km² (247 sq mi) due to "area denial" by Chinese patrolling, but he later retracted his claims about any loss of territory to Chinese incursion. Despite the disputes, skirmishes, and standoffs, no incidence of gunshots being fired has been reported between the two countries along the border for over 50 years.

During Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping's visit to New Delhi in September 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the boundary question and urged for a solution. Modi also argued that the clarification of the border issues would help the two countries to "realise the potential of our relations". However, in 2017, China and India got into a major standoff in Doklam that lasted 73 days. China has since increased its military presence in the Tibetan Plateau, bringing in Type 15 tanks, Harbin Z-20 helicopters, CAIG Wing Loong II UAVs and PCL-181 self-propelled howitzers. China also stationed new Shenyang J-16s and J-11s fighter jets at the Ngari Gunsa Airport, which is 200 kilometres (124 mi) from Pangong Tso, Ladakh. China has also been increasing its footprint with India's neighbours — Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan; so from India having a monopoly in the region, China is now posing a direct challenge to New Delhi's influence in South Asia.

Causes

See also: Chinese land grabbing

Multiple reasons have been cited as the trigger for these skirmishes. One reason stated is China's territory grabbing technique, also referred to as 'salami slicing', which involves encroaching upon small parts of enemy territory over a large period of time. In mid-June 2020 Bharatiya Janata Party councilor Urgain Chodon from Nyoma, Ladakh, stated that successive Indian governments including the current Narendra Modi government have neglected the border areas for decades and turned a 'blind-eye' to Chinese land grabbing in the region. According to her India has failed miserably in the protection of its borders and even this year all along the LAC India has lost land. Even her family has lost grazing land to the Chinese in Koyal.

On land, for the sake of grabbing territory, the PLA appears to have instigated the most violent clash between China and India since those nations went to war in 1962

— Mitch McConnell, 18 June 2020,, in the aftermath of the Galwan skirmish on 15 June

MIT professor Taylor Fravel said that this was a response from China to the development of Indian infrastructure in Ladakh, particularly the Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road. He added that it was a show of strength for China amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which had damaged the Chinese economy and international reputation. Lobsang Sangay, President of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, stated that China is raising border issues due to internal problems within China and the international pressure being exerted on China over COVID-19. Jayadeva Ranade, President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy and former National Security Advisory Board member reasons out that China's current aggression in the region is to protects it's assets and future plans in Ladakh and adjoining regions such as the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor; as such Chinese troops are not going to withdraw.

Wang Shida of China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations linked the current border tensions to India's decision to abrogate Article 370 and change the status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. Although Pravin Sawhney agreed with Wang, he postulated that a parliamentary speech by Amit Shah also could have irked the Chinese. In the speech, Shah declared that Aksai Chin was part of the Ladakh Union Territory. Furthermore, the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 prompted multiple senior Bharatiya Janta Party ministers, most recently in May 2020, to claim that all that now remained was for India to regain Gilgit-Baltistan. Indian diplomat Gautam Bambawale also stated that New Delhi's moves in August 2019 related to Jammu and Kashmir irked Beijing. In 2014, Rajnath Singh, the then Home Minister of India, the Defence Minister during the 2020 skirmishes, had said that 'China has illegally occupied Aksai Chin in Ladakh'.

What China has continued to do is gradually nibble away our territory like Aksai Chin, post 1980s the tactic has been to encroach little by little.

— Ram Madhav, 25 June 2020,

India's former ambassador to China Ashok Kantha said that these skirmishes were part of a growing Chinese assertiveness in both the Indo-China border and the South China sea. Indian diplomat Phunchok Stobdan pointed to the occurrence of a larger strategic shift and that India should be alert. Retired Indian Army Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain said that the skirmishes were post–COVID strategic messages from China to its neighbors which would make India prioritize the Himalayan sector over the maritime Indian Ocean region, a more vulnerable area for the Chinese. Raja Mohan, Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore writes that the growing power imbalance between China and India is the main cause of the dispute, with everything else such as location of the dispute or international ties of India, being mere detail.

These skirmishes have also been linked with the Chinese strategy of Five Fingers of Tibet by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (leader of the principal opposition party Indian National Congress in the Lok Sabha), Seshadri Chari (former head of the foreign affairs cell of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party), and Lobsang Sangay (leader of the Central Tibetan Administration).

Incidents

Pangong Tso

Part of Pangong Tso/Bangong Co with the Chinese (pink) and Indian (red) claims. The area in the middle is disputed. Khurnak Fort and Sirijap campground are also visible.

3km
2miles

Tradtional customary
boundary of China
declared 1960

Ane La
Boundary of China
declared 1960

Spangmik

19

Merak

18

Sirijap

Indian post

10

Tradtional customary
boundary of China
declared 1960

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

  

Northern shore of the Pangong Lake
with "fingers" – mountain spurs jutting into the lake

On 5 May, the first standoff began as a clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers at a beach of Pangong Tso, a lake shared between India and Tibet, China, with the Line of Actual Control (LAC) passing through it. A video showed soldiers from both nations engaging in fistfights and stone-pelting along the LAC. On 10/11 May, another clash took place. A number of soldiers on both sides had sustained injuries. Indian media reported that around 72 Indian soldiers were injured in the confrontation at Pangong Tso, and some had to be flown to hospitals in Leh, Chandi Mandir and Delhi. According to The Daily Telegraph and other sources, China captured 60 km² of Indian-patrolled territory between May and June 2020.

After the clash, several Chinese military helicopters were spotted flying near the Indian border on at least two occasions. India deployed several Sukhoi Su-30MKI jets to the area. Reports that Chinese helicopters had repeatedly violated Indian airspace were denied by the Indian government. There were reports of Chinese soldiers approaching Indian soldiers with improvised weaponry of barbed wire "sticks".

Sikkim

According to Indian media reports, on 10 May, a spat began when the Chinese intruded into the Muguthang Valley and shouted at the Indian troops: "this is not your land. This is not Indian territory ... so, just go back." An Indian lieutenant responded by punching a Chinese major's nose. The incident developed into a brawl involving 150 soldiers, opposing sides throwing stones at one another.. Seven Chinese and four Indian soldiers were reported to have been injured. Following the incident, the Indian army withdrew from the front line the Indian lieutenant that initiated the brawl. A spokesperson from Indian Army's Eastern Command said that the matter had been "resolved after 'dialogue and interaction' at a local level" and that "temporary and short-duration face-offs between border guards do occur as boundaries are not resolved. Troops usually resolve such issues by using mutually established protocols". China did not share details about the incident, and the Chinese Ministry of Defense did not comment on the incident. However, the foreign ministry said that the "Chinese soldiers had always upheld peace and tranquillity along the border".

Gol Gappe khayega kya?
(transl. Want to eat Gol Gappe?)

- Indian soldier to Chinese soldiers during jostling along the border

Eastern Ladakh

45km
30miles

Karakash

Chip Chap
River

Raki Nala

Jeong Nala

Galwan
River

Chang Chenmo

Shyok
River

River

Depsang

Hot Springs

DBO

Qizil
Langar

Burtsa
Gongma

Murgo

Sultan
Chhushku

Mandaltang

Mundro

Chhumed

Shyok

Darbuk

  

Locations along the DS-DBO Road
(and the traditional customary boundary of China declared 1960).

3km
2miles

Traditional customary
boundary of China
declared 1960

stream

Galwan

Galwan

DS-DBO
Road

Indian
post

Shyok
bed

  

Galwan River at the Line of Actual Control

On 21 May, the Indian Express reported that Chinese troops had entered the Indian territory in the Galwan River valley and objected to the road construction by India within the (undisputed) Indian territory. The road under construction is a branch of the Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road which leads into the Galwan valley. The report also stated that "the Chinese pitched 70–80 tents in the area and then reinforced the area with troops, heavy vehicles, and monitoring equipment. These all happened not very far from the Indian side." On 24 May, another report said that the Chinese soldiers invaded India at three different places: Hot Springs, Patrol Point 14, and Patrol Point 15. At each of these places, around 800–1,000 Chinese soldiers reportedly crossed the border and settled at a place about 2–3 km (1–2 mi) from the border. They also pitched tents and deployed heavy vehicles and monitoring equipment. The report added that India also deployed troops in the area and stationed them 300–500 metres (984–1,640 ft) from the Chinese. According to Indian defence analyst Ajai Shukla, China captured 60 km² of Indian-patrolled territory between May and June 2020. According to The Daily Telegraph, China captured 20 km² of Indian-patrolled territory in the Galwan valley. According to EurAsian Times, the Chinese have a huge build-up including military-style bunkers, new permanent structures, military trucks, and road-building equipment. It quoted an Indian official who called it "the most dangerous situation since 1962." An officials, quoted by The Hindu, stated that "this amounted to a change in the status quo which would never be accepted by India." On 30 May, the Business Standard reported that thousands of Chinese soldiers were "consolidating their positions and digging defences needed to repel Indian attacks." They also reported that there were about 18 guns at Pangong Tso and about 12 guns in the Galwan valley providing fire support for the Chinese. Indian troops had taken up positions to block any further advance by the PLA towards the Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road.

The Global Times, which is owned by the Chinese government, blamed India for the stand-offs and claimed that India had "illegally constructed defence facilities across the border into Chinese territory in the Galwan Valley region." Long Xingchun, a senior research fellow at the Beijing Foreign Studies University, wrote that the border friction was "an accident." India is definitely aware that the Galwan Valley region is in Chinese territory." On 26 May, Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged the military "to prepare for the worst-case scenarios" and "to scale up battle preparedness." Furthermore, he said that the COVID-19 pandemic brought a profound change on the global landscape about China's security and development. On 26 May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the current situation in Ladakh with the National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval and the Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat.

On 27 May 2020, the Chinese Ambassador to India as well as a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that the overall situation was stable. However, news reports continued stating that thousands of Chinese soldiers were moving into the disputed regions in Ladakh. This move prompted India to deploy several infantry battalions from the Leh, the provincial capital of Ladakh and some other units from Kashmir.

Hot Springs

Chinese infrastructure development in Hot Springs is mainly in and around Gogra. Tracks in satellite imagery suggest that PLA troops make forays into Indian territory here. A road also connects this area to the Chinese habitat of Wenquan. Hot Springs area is suppose to be rich in minerals such as gold.

Galwan Valley skirmish

On 15 June, Indian and Chinese troops clashed for six hours in a steep section of a mountainous region in the Galwan Valley. The immediate cause of the incident is unknown, though on 18 June The Hindu quoted a "senior government official" in the Ministry of External Affairs of India who said their troops were ambushed. The statement said this happened while they were patrolling a disputed area where Colonel Santosh Babu had destroyed a Chinese tent two days earlier, with dammed rivulets being released and boulders being thrown by Chinese troops. While soldiers carry firearms, due to decades of tradition designed to reduce the possibility of an escalation, agreements disallow usage of firearms, but the Chinese side is reported to possess iron rods and clubs. As a result, hand-to-hand combat broke out, and the Indians called for reinforcements from a post about 2 miles away. Eventually, up to 600 men were engaged in combat using stones, batons, iron rods, and other makeshift weapons. The fighting, which took place in near-total darkness, lasted for up to six hours. According to senior Indian military officers, Chinese troops used batons wrapped in barbed wire and clubs embedded with nails.

The fighting resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers of 16th Bihar Regiment including its commanding officer, Colonel Santosh Babu. While three Indian soldiers died on the spot, others died later due to injuries and hypothermia. Most of the soldiers who were killed fell to their deaths after losing their footing or being pushed off the ridge. The clash took place near the fast-flowing Galwan River, and some soldiers from both sides fell into a rivulet and were killed or injured. Bodies were later recovered from the Shyok River. Some Indian soldiers had also been momentarily taken captive. According to Indian media sources, the mêlée resulted in 43 Chinese casualties. At a de-escalation meeting following the incident, the Chinese side accepted that the Chinese commanding officer was also killed in the mêlée . The Chinese defence ministry confirmed the existence of Chinese casualties but refused to share the number. Later on, when asked about an Indian minister’s assertion about the number of Chinese casualties, China refused to comment. U.S. intelligence reportedly concluded that 35 Chinese soldiers were killed. Indian media reported that 10 Indian soldiers were released from Chinese custody in 17 June, including four officers. Responding to the reports, the Indian army and the Chinese foreign ministry have both denied that any Indian personnel was taken into custody.

On 16 June, Chinese Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesperson for the PLA's Western Command, said that the Indian military violated bilateral consensus. He further remarked that "the sovereignty over the Galwan Valley area had always belonged to China". On 18 June, India's Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar made a statement saying that China had "unilaterally tried to change the status quo" and that its claims over the Galwan Valley were "exaggerated and untenable" saying that the Chinese side's "premeditated and planned action" was behind the violence and that the Chinese had made an attempt to erect a structure on India's side of the LAC. The same day, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell said that the Chinese PLA had "invaded" the "contested area" between India and China. On 19 June, however, Prime Minister Modi declared that "neither have they (China) intruded into our border, nor has any post been taken over by them", contradicting multiple previous statements by the Indian government. Later PMO clarified that PM Modi wanted to indicate the bravery of 16 Bihar Regiment who had foiled the attempt of the Chinese side.

On 22 June, U.S. News & World Report reported that U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that the chief of China’s Western Theater Command had sanctioned the skirmish.

In the aftermath of the incident at Galwan in which the Chinese used nailed-spiked rods, the Indian Army decided to equip soldiers along the border with lightweight riot gear as well as spiked clubs. The Indian Air Force also started the process for emergency procurement of 12 Sukhoi-30 MKI and 21 Mikoyan MiG-29 from Russia. On 20 June, India removed restriction on usage of firearms for Indian soldiers along the LAC.

Satellite images analysed by an Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s analyst shows that the Chinese have increased construction in in the Galwan valley since the 15 June skirmish. The Chinese post that was destroyed by Indian troops on 15 June was reconstructed by 22 June, with an expansion in size and with more military movement. Other new defensive positions by both Indian and Chinese forces have also been built in Galwan.

Depsang plains

Chinese presence, 18 km inside India's side of the LAC, 30 km south-east of DSDBO, on the Y-junction or Bottleneck at Depsang Plains was reported by Indian media on 25 June 2020 who described movements of troops, heavy vehicles and military equipment. The Chinese claim lines are 5 km further west of bottleneck.

Ongoing construction of Indian infrastructure

See also: India-China Border Roads

Amid the standoff, India decided to move an additional 12,000 workers approximately to the region to help complete Indian road projects. The laborers would reach Ladakh between 15 June and 5 July. Experts state that the development of Indian infrastructure along the border was one of the causes for the standoffs. The first train with over 1600 workers left Jharkhand on 14 June 2020 for Udhampur, and from there they will go on to assist India's Border Roads Organization at the Sino-Indian border. Apart from completing the Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road the labourers will also be assisting the BRO in the construction of the following roads: "Phobrang-Masmikla road, Masmikla-Hot Springs road, Chisumle-Demchok road, Koyul-Photile-Chisumle-Zurasar road and Hanle-Photile road."

Diplomatic response

India's prime minister holding a meeting with political parties via video conferencing to discuss the situation in Sino-Indian border areas on 19 June.

After the first melee took place, on 5–6 May 2020 at Pangong Tso, Foreign Secretary of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla called Sun Weidong, the Chinese ambassador to India. Then, Ajit Doval has reportedly talked to the CCP Politburo member, Yang Jiechi, who is also a top diplomat under CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping. On 28 May, in a press conference, Indian spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Anurag Srivastava, maintained that there were enough bilateral mechanisms to solve border disputes diplomatically. These agreements encompass:

Five bilateral treaties between India and China to address border disputes

• 1993: Agreement on the maintenance of peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control in the Sino-Indian Border
• 1996: Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the People's Republic of China on confidence-building Measures in the military field along the Line of Actual Control in the Sino-Indian Border
• 2005: Protocol on the modalities for the implementation of confidence-building measures in the military field along the Line of Actual Control in the Sino-Indian Border
• 2012: Establishment of a working mechanism for consultation and coordination on Sino-Indian border affairs
• 2013: Border defense cooperation agreement between India and China

Additionally there are other agreements related to the border question such as the 2005 "Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question". However, some critics say that these agreements are "deeply flawed". The Border personnel meeting (BPM) points have seen rounds of military talks in May–June; first between colonels, then between brigadiers, and then finally, on 2 June, more than three rounds between major generals. All these talks were unsuccessful. Some Indian military sources said that India was still unclear with China's demands. "When one wants to stall a process, one makes absurd demands...they purposefully made some unreasonable demands", said the sources. On 6 June 2020, the lieutenant general-level talks took place between India and China in Chushul-Moldo. The talks involved the Indian commander of Leh-headquartered XIV Corps and the Chinese commander of the Tibet Military District (South Xinjiang Military Region) Maj Gen Liu Lin. Prior to talks on 6 June 2016, at lieutenant general-level, the Global Times warned India.

...Neither has anyone intruded into the Indian territory nor is anyone inside our territory now. None of our military posts have been captured by anyone...

PM Narendra Modi on 19 June 2020; PMO's office later clarified that the quote was in relation to the Galwan Valley clash on the 15/16th and its aftermath,

Following the Galwan clash Chinese flags and effigies of Paramount Leader Xi Jinping were set afire in various places across India, various groups registered their protests in different ways. The Global Times responded to these protests saying that it is "extremely dangerous for India to allow anti-China groups to stir public opinion". On 17 June 2020, Prime Minister Modi addressed the nation regarding the Galwan skirmish, giving a firm message directed at China over the deaths of Indian soldiers. The first communication, since the start of the border dispute, between the foreign ministers of China, Wang Yi and of India, S Jaishankar also happened post Galwan skirmish. S Jaishankar accused the Chinese actions in Galwan to be "pre-meditated and planned".

On 20 June, Chinese social media platform WeChat removed the Indian Prime Minister's remarks on the Galwan skirmish which was uploaded by the Indian Embassy in China. The official statements of the Ministry of External Affairs were also removed. WeChat said that it removed the speech and statements because they divulged in state secrets and endangered national security. The MEA spokesperson's statement on the incident was also removed from Weibo. Following this, the Indian embassy in China issued a clarification on its Weibo account that the post wasn’t removed by them, and re-published a screen-shot of the statement in Chinese.

The second round of commanders meeting was on 22 June. In an 11-hour meeting the commanders worked out a disengagement outline. On 24 June this disengagement was then diplomatically acknowledged by both sides during the virtual meeting of the "Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs". Chinese spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that India "agreed to and withdrew its cross-border personnel in the Galvan Valley and dismantled the crossing facilities in accordance with China’s request".

Economic response

See also: Boycott Chinese products and Atmanirbhar Bharat

I am here to remind citizens that this is a people's fight, along with the Indian Army to counter China.... the movement to boycott China is like treating cancer, you will have some pain in the beginning but we will be free from the malady of Chinese dependency.

Sonam Wangchuk

India's economic response to China was mainly restricted to patriotic programs on news channels and social media publicity appeals, with very little actual impact on businesses and sales. In May, in response to the border skirmishes, Sonam Wangchuk appealed to Indians to "use your wallet power" and boycott Chinese products. This appeal was covered by major media houses and supported by various celebrities. Following the Galwan Valley clash on 15 June 2020, there were calls across India to boycott Chinese goods. The Indian Railways cancelled a contract with a Chinese firm, while the Department of Telecommunication notified BSNL not to use any Chinese made product in upgradations. Mumbai cancelled a monorail contract where the only bidders were Chinese companies; and alternatively to focus on looking for an Indian technological partner instead. Numerous Chinese contractors and firms have been under enhanced scrutiny following 2020 border friction. There are also calls for making sure the Chinese do not have access to strategic markets in India. Swadeshi Jagran Manch said that if the government was serious about making India self-reliant, Chinese companies should not be given projects such as the Delhi-Meerut RRTS.

Numerous Indian government officials said that border tensions would have no impact on trade between the two countries. Amid the increased visibility of calls for boycotting Chinese goods in the aftermath of the Galwan incident, numerous industry analysts warned that a boycott would be counter-productive for India, would send out the wrong message to trade partners, and would have very limited impact on China, since both bilaterally as well as globally India is comparatively a much smaller trade power. The Haryana government cancelled a tender related to a power project in which Chinese firms had put in bid. The Uttar Pradesh government Special Task Force personnel were given orders to delete 52 apps including TikTok and WeChat for security reasons while and officials in Madhya Pradesh Police were given an advisory for the same. On 21 June 2020 Global Times wrote in an opinion piece:

Nationalist fever is being fueled. For instance, retired Indian army officer Ranjit Singh told Indians last week to throw Chinese goods out, asserting Indians "can break China's backbone economically". We hope Indian people won't be fooled by the radical elements in their country. India needs China, economically and geopolitically [...] Of the top 30 so-called unicorn startup enterprises in India, 18 have Chinese investments. And many daily necessities enjoyed by Indians [...] are produced by China. With both affordable prices and good quality, Chinese items are difficult to replace. It seems that extreme nationalist forces in India are again stirring up the "Boycott Made-in-China" message to vent their anger. But they need to look at what they have at home [...] Some claim that they could offload their 4G mobile networks to be replaced with equipment made in India, but in reality, until today there has not been a single Indian telecom maker that is able to manufacture 3G and 4G gears.

The issue of Chinese materials in Indian Army bulletproof jackets was again raised in June after the Galwan incident. A NITI Aayog member said that it was due to the quality and the pricing that Chinese material was being used instead of Indian products. Bullet-proof jackets ordered by the government in 2019 had up to 40% Chinese material. On 20 June 2020 it was reported that development of an Indian bulletproof jacket, the "Sarvatra Kavach", that is 100% Made in India, is near completion. The Maharashtra government put ₹5,000 crore (equivalent to ₹59 billion or US$710 million in 2023) worth of Chinese projects on hold. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade brought out a list of over a 1000 Made in China goods on which the Government of India has sought comments for imposing import restrictions. Previously the Department had asked private companies to submit a list of Chinese imports. Pharmaceutical sector imports from China are also under the scanner. Incidents in Ladakh are also additional reasons to keep India away from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in which China has a big role.

Sales of Chinese smartphones in India were not affected in the immediate aftermath of Galwan despite calls for a boycott. The latest model of Chinese smartphone company OnePlus sold out within minutes in India on 18 June 2020, two days after the Galwan clash. Xiaomi India's managing director said that the social media backlash would not affect sales, adding that Xiaomi handsets are "more Indian than Indian handset companies" and that even many non-Chinese phones, including American handsets, are made in and imported from China.

International response

U.S. President Donald Trump, on 27 May 2020, offered to mediate between China and India. This offer was rejected by both the countries. The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, also raised the issue in a podcast, saying that these were the kind of actions that authoritarian regimes took, and that they can have a real impact. Elliot Engel, chief of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, also expressed concern with the situation. He said that "China was demonstrating once again that it was willing to bully its neighbors". Australia and Russia said that the issue should be solved bilaterally between India and China. On 2 June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump discussed the Sino-Indian border situation. On the same day, the Foreign Secretary of India also updated and discussed the situation with the Russian Ambassador to India, Nikolay R. Kudashev. Following the Galwan skirmish on 15 June, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations called for de-escalation and a peaceful resolution. The Ambassador of India in Russia also spoke to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister about the situation.

In response to the Galwan, the Foreign Minister of the Maldives, Abdulla Shahid, and the Ambassador to India and the envoys of France, Germany and Japan tweeted condolences and concern for the Indian lives lost following Galwan. The Ambassador of Italy to India, Vincenzo de Luca, expressed deepest sympathies, adding "India and China are both very important partners not only for Italy, but also for the European Union as a whole." Both countries are crucial actors for regional and global stability". The U.S. Secretary of State tweeted condolences to the people of India for the lives lost; while the U.S. Department of State and the Press Secretary for the President of Russia, said that the situation was being closely watched.

On 20 June, US President Donald Trump said that the U.S. is in touch with both China and India to assist them in resolving the tensions.

On 22 June, there will be virtual talks between RIC (Russia–India–China), which was initiated by Russia. Russia had scheduled the RIC trilateral for March but delayed it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there will be interaction between the foreign ministers of China and India the media expect them to discuss other issues such as regional cooperation and security, COVID-19, Afghanistan, and the INSTC corridor.

Media coverage

Chinese media have given little to no attention to the dispute and have downplayed the clashes. In the first month of the standoff, there was only a single editorial piece in the China Daily and the People's Daily. The People's Daily and the PLA Daily did not cover the Galwan clash while the Global Times (Chinese) carried it on page 16. The state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) carried the official military statement on social media with no further coverage. The Global Times ran a number of opinion pieces and one editorial which questioned why China did not disclose its death toll publicly.

In India, nearly all mainstream newspapers carried front page stories as well as multi-page stories of the incident. Newslaundry reported on the excessive nationalist tendencies of some Indian news channels like News18 Hindi, Zee News, India TV, Times Now and Republic TV. It reported how Times Now broadcast the names of 30 Chinese soldiers who had died during the Galwan clash with the anchors quoting the source as Global Times. Times Now also put out a tweet that the Chinese have accepted the deaths with the source as Global Times. This was debunked by a fact-checking website, AltNews, as fake news and that the source was a WhatsApp message. And the names in another list of Chinese soldiers that died during Galwan that was taking the rounds on the social media was lifted from the Wikipedia article List of generals of the People’s Republic of China. There were numerous other figures in the media regarding the number of Chinese soldiers that had died. Chinese spokesperson Zhao Lijian even made a statement saying that 40 Chinese soldiers dying was fake news. A boycott China program on Republic TV and hosted by Arnab Goswami was sponsored by Vivo, a Chinese company, with the sponsors logo clearly visible on the screen.

Ahead of the commanders' meeting on 6 June, disinformation campaigns were reportedly run by Chinese state-controlled media as well as corporations. The Chinese broadcasters showed military manoeuvres along the border, reportedly designed to frighten the Indians. TikTok was reported to have given "shadow bans" to videos related to the border tension. Statements from India were removed from Chinese social media companies such as Weibo and WeChat.

Following the Galwan clash, international coverage in The New York Times and The Guardian commented on the "nationalistic" character of the leaders of both countries and the "dangers posed by expansionist nationalism". The BBC described the situation in Galwan as "an extraordinary escalation with rocks and clubs".

See also

• 1967 Nathu La and Cho La clashes
• 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish
• Kalapani territory
• Doklam
• 1962 Sino Indian War

Further reading

• Brands, Hal (2 June 2020). "China's border invasion will push India toward the U.S." Japan Times.
• "Bipartisan U.S. blame directed at Beijing over China-India border dispute". CBC News. Thomson Reuters. 2 June 2020.
• Lt Gen HS Panag (Retd) (4 June 2020). "India's Fingers have come under Chinese boots. Denial won't help us". The Print.
• Lt Gen HS Panag (Retd) (28 May 2020). "China believes India wants Aksai Chin back. PLA has likely secured 40–60 sq km in Ladakh". The Print.
• Chaudhary, Archana (5 June 2020). "India's China standoff shows risks of getting too close to Donald Trump]". The Economic Times. Bloomberg.
• Kazmin, Amy; Weinland, Don (9 June 2020). "Trump's embrace of Modi stokes India-China stand-off in Himalayas". Financial Times.
• Roche, Elizabeth (8 June 2020). "India, China to continue quiet diplomacy on border dispute". LiveMint.
• "Galwan Valley: The soldiers killed in the India-China border clash". BBC. 19 June 2020.
• Roy Choudhury, Saheli (18 June 2020). "India is under 'tremendous' pressure to respond to China, academic says". CNBC.
• Sino-India relations including Doklam, Situation and Cooperation in International Organisation (PDF) (Report). Parliamentary Standing Committee Report (External Affairs), 16th Lok Sabha.
• Mathew, Liz (19 June 2020). "After Doklam, House panel had urged govt to be wary of China". The Indian Express.
• Shashi Tharoor (24 June 2020). "Driving India into US arms is a risk China is willing to take". South China Morning Post.