DNA Exclusive: Australian report on China’s lies about Galwan valley conflict - an analysis

New Delhi: China has maintained that it lost only four soldiers during the Galwan valley clash with India in 2020, however, Zee News was the first to report that the country lost over 40 soldiers. Now, an Australian newspaper has confirmed Zee News’ report. 

Zee News Editor-In-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary in his show DNA on Thursday (February 3) analysed Australian newspaper The Klaxon’s report that claimed China's losses in the Galwan Valley clash in 2020 were much higher than reported. 

A detailed report has been published in this Australian newspaper on the violence in Galwan valley that escalated eastern Ladakh border row between the two giants. Here are the top five takeaways from the report:

1. In this violent clash, not four but 42 Chinese soldiers were killed.

2. Out of these, 38 of the soldiers died after they fell in the Galwan river during the skirmish. In February 2021, China said that only one of its soldiers had died from drowning in the river during the violence, while three soldiers died fighting. But as per Klaxon’s report, at least 38 Chinese soldiers were washed away in the Galwan river during the clash.

3. According to the report, the situation became tense between the two sides after the Chinese Army, People's Liberation Army (PLA),  violated two protocols. Firstly, PLA tried to set up illegal tents in the buffer zone on the border and secondly, the Chinese security forces carried out illegal construction in the area against the border agreement and deliberately provoked the Indian Army. This violent clash was “well-planned”-- China had already drawn up its entire plan. After the clash, China released two videos of the incident in June 2020, one of which shows daytime and the other is of nighttime. In one of these videos, a Chinese soldier is visible who has been made the torchbearer in the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games.

4. As per the newspaper report, these videos which China said were of June 15 are actually from June 6. In these videos, the Indian military personnel can be seen without body gears, whereas Chinese soldiers were wearing war helmets, neck coverings and body armour, which proves they were already prepared for the clash. However, despite this preparation, the Indian Army killed more than 40 of the PLA soldiers and China suffered heavy losses in this conflict.

5. Lastly, the publication of all the information related to the Galwan valley skirmish in China is being monitored. If any journalist or any other person writes something on it, then they are arrested. This shows that China does not want the truth of this conflict to be known to the world.

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