Hundreds of Chinese and Indian soldiers face off in the Himalayas

Hundreds of Indian and Chinese soldiers have been stationed in positions on a large flat area high in the Himalayas, forcing Indian Army Chief of Staff General Dalbir Singh to cancel a visit to Bhutan to monitor the situation, Reuters reported.

The move underscores deep differences between the two Asian giants as the neighbors seek closer ties.

Chinese and Indian soldiers in the border area. (Source: india.com)

Chinese troops have been camped more than a week inside the Chumar area of ​​Ladakh, which India claims as its own, and Indian troops have been camped nearby and have been ordered not to retreat, military officials in New Delhi and Kashmir said on September 23.

An Indian government official said that India has deployed about 1,500 soldiers in the Chumar area, while the Chinese side has about 800, and the two sides are not in a direct confrontation but separated by a relative distance.

In a written statement, China's Defense Ministry said the two sides' understanding of the border was different and that the Chinese military respected the agreements signed between the two countries. "The border between the two countries has not been clearly demarcated so far. If there is any problem in the border area, both sides can reach an appropriate solution through dialogue and consultation," the statement said.

Allegations of incursions by Chinese troops into territory claimed by India dominated a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, casting a shadow over his pledges to invest $20 billion in India over the next five years and his desire to warm his personal relationship with India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi./.

According to VNA