Indian, Chinese troops clashed last week at disputed border: Officials

NEW DELHI

Troops from India and China clashed last week along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the two countries in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, officials said Monday.

An official statement issued by a defense spokesman Monday evening said that on Dec. 9 in the Tawang Sector, a "face-off led to minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides."

The statement said that both sides immediately disengaged from the area.

As a follow-up of the incident, the Indian commander in the area “held a flag meeting with his counterpart to discuss the issue in accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquility," the statement said

There has been no statement so far from the Chinese side on the matter.

The incident marks the first major clash between the two militaries since June 2020, when at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in a clash at the LAC in the high-altitude Himalayan region of Ladakh.

Tensions at the border eased after several rounds of talks, and the two sides stepped back. But the situation has not yet been fully resolved and the two sides have increased military deployments at the border.

Monday's statement also noted that "in certain areas along the LAC in the Tawang Sector in Arunachal Pradesh there are areas of differing perception wherein both sides patrol the area up to their claim lines."

"This has been the trend since 2006," it added.