Video Shows 'Indian Troops Intercepting PLA Soldiers' Near Arunachal Pradesh's Bum La Pass
© AP Photo / Anupam Nath
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In recent months, Beijing has been reinforcing its claims to Arunachal Pradesh, located at the eastern tip of the Sino-India border. In November, New Delhi slammed Beijing for undertaking construction in areas it has “illegally occupied” for decades, while responding to a Pentagon report that China has built a village inside Arunachal Pradesh.
A recent video that has emerged online allegedly shows People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers being intercepted by an Indian Army patrolling party in Arunachal Pradesh, located at the easternmost tip of the Sino-India border.
The video appears to have been shot near the Bum La Pass, the region which saw one of the fiercest battles between the two nations during the 1962 border war.
Interception Of Chinese PLAGF Troops By Indian Army Near Bum La, Arunchal Pradesh..🇮🇳⚡️🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/tmeVftpKXQ
— 𝗞𝗨𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗕𝗜𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗦 (@Kunal_Biswas707) December 31, 2021
“... we believe in maintaining the status (quo). You also maintain the same. Understood?" an Indian soldier can be heard telling his PLA counterpart in the video.
"Yes, yes… I understand,” replies the Chinese soldier.
“Your commander said that we can get here to Bum La. And you can get here (as well). It doesn't matter,” the PLA soldier also tells the Indian party.
"That I will clarify from my commander," replies the Indian soldier.
19 October 2021, 10:28 GMT
While the previously unsurfaced video is undated, it emerged just several days after a row erupted between Beijing and New Delhi over a decision by China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs to rename 15 places, including eight residential areas, four mountains, two rivers and a mountain pass in Arunachal Pradesh.
While the state of Arunachal Pradesh is administered by India, it is claimed by Beijing as part of its ‘South Tibet’ region.
Beijing’s move to rename the places in India-held territory has been protested by New Delhi, with Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stating on 30 December that “Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India.”
“Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact," Bagchi stated.
The Chinese foreign ministry, meanwhile, defended its decision to assign new names to the 15 locations in the border region.
“Zangnan (the southern part of China’s Tibet) is located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has been China’s territory since ancient times. China’s ethnic minorities such as the Moinba and Tibetan ethnic groups have lived and worked in this area for a long time, and many place names have been passed down,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during a press briefing on 31 December, while responding to Bagchi’s remarks.
“In order to strengthen the standardised administration of place names, the competent department of the Chinese government, in accordance with the regulation on the administration of geographical names, has announced the second batch of standardised names of places in Zangnan for use by the public, which completely falls within China’s sovereignty,” the Chinese official added.
The two countries are currently also embroiled in a months-old military standoff in the Ladakh region, which is located on the westernmost tip of the Sino-India border. The deadly border faceoff remains unresolved in spite of several rounds of military-commander level talks and several rounds of meetings between the foreign ministers of the two Asian nations.
