BEIJING – China has revealed that four of its soldiers were killed, and oneseriously wounded, during a bloody border clash with neighbouring Indialast year.
The violent brawl had broken out between People’s Liberation Army andIndian troops in the Galwan Valley in June, were also made public, in a PLADaily newspaper report on Friday detailing honours awarded to the fivesoldiers.
The five PLA soldiers were described by the Central Military Commission as“heroes defending the border”, according to the report.
Qi Fabao, the regimental commander from the PLA Xinjiang Military Command,who survived the incident, was given a hero award, along with battalioncommander Chen Hongjun, who was honoured posthumously. Chen Xiangrong, XiaoSiyuan and Wang Zhuoran were posthumously given first-class merit awards.
The men died after fighting “foreign troops” who “crossed into the Chineseborder”, said Chinese state media.
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Another man, regimental commander Qi Fabao, was also given honours aftersustaining “serious injuries”.
At least 20 Indians were also killed in the first deadly clash in thedisputed border area in 45 years. Soldiers from both sides had reportedlyfought with stones and nail-studded clubs.
China and India have been locked in a border dispute for decades. The rootcause of the tension is an ill-defined, 3,440km (2,100-mile)-long disputedborder called the Line of Actual Control.
