PLA Redeployed J-20 Fighter Jets Near Ladakh Days Before Fresh Move on Pangong Lake

In a major flare-up of the India-China border clashes in eastern Ladakh, the People’s Liberation Army carried out “provocative military movements” to “unilaterally” change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong Tso but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops, the Army said on Monday. Army Spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand said troops from China’s People’s Liberation Army(PLA) “violated” the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements on the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh, and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo on the night of August 29/30. A brigade commander level flag meeting is currently in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues, he said.

China has issued a denial, with its foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian claiming that PLA troops “never crossed the line of actual control”. Both sides are in communication regarding the situation on the ground, Lijian told a news briefing on Monday. The Indian Army spokesperson, however, said that Indian troops pre-empted PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake and undertook measures to strengthen its positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground,” the Army spokesperson said. He said the Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect India’s territorial integrity.