(Srinagar) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to Ladakh, a Himalayan region bordering on China and source of tensions on Friday after a deadly confrontation between the armies of the two Asian giants.
Posted on July 3 2020 at 9 a.m. 51
France Media Agency
After going in the morning to a military base in the locality of Nimoo, the Hindu nationalist then greeted soldiers injured in the clash with Chinese troops and treated in a hospital in Leh, the regional capital .
The Chief of the Defense Staff and the Chief of the Army accompanied the Prime Minister on his trip to this area where India has deployed significant military reinforcements in recent weeks.
“In these difficult circumstances, you are the shield of the motherland,” said the Indian head of government, who had donned a khaki parka and a cap with a military badge, before troops.
“The age of expansionism is over,” continued Narendra Modi, without quoting directly from China. “History shows that expansionism has driven humanity to destruction. “
“India has always followed the path of world peace, but, at the same time, the weak can never advance peace. Bravery and courage are prerequisites for peace, ”he added.
During their first deadly altercation in 45 years, Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed on 15 June in a body-to-body of extreme violence, in a disputed valley of this desert at high altitude.
The shock cost the lives of 20 soldiers on the Indian side, and caused an unknown number of victims in the Chinese ranks. The two nuclear powers publicly reject responsibility for the incident and say they want a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
This confrontation caused an anti-Chinese fever spurt in Indian public opinion. Against the background of calls to boycott Chinese products, New Delhi announced Monday the ban on 59 Chinese applications (TikTok, Weibo, WeChat, CamScanner …) in India on behalf of national security.
In its daily press briefing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday castigated the “irresponsible remarks” by Indian political leaders and called for cooperation.
“The friction between the two camps is the wrong way to go, and goes against the basic wishes of the two peoples,” said Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy.
“India should not make poor strategic judgment towards China,” he warned.
