Beijing on diplomatic charge amid pullback

China says it lost four soldiers in Galwan, leaks selective clips of clash, hopes ‘India has learnt its lesson’

On a day when it finally admitted that it had suffered casualties at Galwan, China on Friday launched a renewed push to blame India both for tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the deadly clash last year, releasing several videos that sought to portray Indian troops as trespassers and aggressors.

The move came after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily released details for the first time of four soldiers who were killed, and an officer who was injured in the clash at Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020. It is extremely rare for the Chinese military to publicly acknowledge casualties – for instance, it is yet to release official casualty figures for the war with Vietnam in 1979.

China’s defence and foreign ministries issued statements that pinned the blame for the death of Chinese soldiers at Galwan Valley on India. Twenty