38 Chinese soldiers drowned in 2020 Galwan clash: Report
What's the story
At least 38 Chinese soldiers died in the early stage of the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, an investigative report by Australian newspaper The Klaxon said. The soldiers reportedly died by drowning while attempting to cross back over the Galwan River in the dark. As many as 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers were killed in the clash.
Context
Why does the story matter?
The Galwan Valley clash between the Indian Army and China's People's Liberation Army has escalated border tensions between the two neighboring nations. In February 2021, Beijing announced medals for four of its soldiers who died in the clash, accepting for the first time the Chinese casualties in the incident. However, China has been accused of hiding its real number of casualties during the clash.
Details
Indian troops went to remove Chinese encroachment: Report
On the night of June 15, 2020, Indian troops went to a disputed area in Galwan Valley to remove Chinese encroachment, as per the report. They were faced by China's Colonel Qi Fabao and 150 Chinese soldiers, the report claims. The Chinese troops reportedly formed a battle formation instead of discussing the issue with the Indian troops, leading to a clash.
Incident
What happened on June 15, 2020?
According to the report, Col Fabao was besieged by the Indian army troops the moment he attacked. "To rescue him, PLA battalion commander Chen Hongjun and soldier Chen Xiangron started a physical scuffle with Indian troops using steel pipes, sticks, and stones, killing three PLA soldiers," the report added. Following this, "PLA soldiers panicked into retreat," the report claimed.
Report
Retreating PLA soldiers washed away, drowned: Report
Wang Zhuoran, one of the confirmed dead, reportedly came forward to help his retreating comrades and lead the way back. "They decided to cross the icy water of the river in pitch dark under the guidance of Wang. The river rose suddenly and injured comrades kept slipping and (being) washed downstream." The PLA soldiers reportedly "didn't even have time to wear water pants."
Information
How did Indian troops die?
After this initial clash, both sides reportedly called for reinforcements. Indian troops who lost their lives in the Galwan Valley are believed to have been killed in the subsequent fighting, the report claimed.
Reason
What sparked the Galwan clash?
The reason behind the June 15 clash was the building of a temporary bridge by Indian soldiers across Galwan River in May, the report claimed. "Though People's Liberation Army was constructing its own infrastructure in the buffer zone, the construction of a temporary bridge by Indian troops aroused strong opposition by the Chinese," it added.
Information
Images of two different clashes conflated: Report
The report went on to claim that facts and imagery from two separate but similar clashes that occurred just over a week apart in the region were conflated. While one clash took place in the day, the other at night, it added.
China
China hid facts: Report
The report also claimed that China hid information about the Galwan clash. "A lot of facts about what really happened, what led to the skirmish, have been hidden by Beijing," the report claimed. "What was told by China to the world were mostly fabricated stories," it added. The report also said Chinese authorities culled many blogs and pages to hide facts.
Information
How was the investigation done by the newspaper?
The report done by the Australian newspaper is based on research conducted by a group of unnamed social media researchers. The sources of these researchers include Chinese bloggers, information obtained from mainland-based Chinese citizens, and media reports that have since been removed by Chinese authorities.