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Wednesday, September 2, 2020

September 02, 2020
image: Getty via express.co.uk


INDIA has deployed a warship to the South China Sea following the bloody clash with Beijing in the Ladakh region.

Back in June, the two nations deployed troops to the disputed border and a bloody altercation erupted which saw fatalities on both sides. This marked the first bloody clash between the nations in 45 years.


Initial reports said both sides had agreed to disarm as they confronted each other in the mountainous region.

But at least 20 Indian soldiers and up to 35 Chinese troops were killed as the meeting grew tense and fights broke out.

The ongoing border disputes between the two countries has escalated over recent weeks after India accused China of sending thousands of troops into Ladakh’s Galwan valley, and says China occupies 38,000sq ft of its territory.


Over the last three decades, several rounds of talks have been held attempting to resolve the dispute, with no success.

The tensions have stretched back further in time, with 2017 seeing the two counties clash over China attempting to extend a border road through a disputed plateau.

Only once has outright war been fought between the two: 1962 saw India suffer a devastating defeat to China.

Now, India has deployed a warship to the highly disputed South China Sea region, where Beijing has increased its military presence.



Government sources said: “Soon after the Galwan clash broke out in which 20 of our soldiers were killed, the Indian Navy deployed one of its frontline warships to the South China Sea where the People’s Liberation Army’s Navy objects to the presence of any other force claiming the majority of the waters as part of its territory.”

Tensions in the South China Sea are already reaching boiling point as it faces rival ownership claims from China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Over recent months, the US has increased its military presence in the region in a bid to counter China’s dominance in the area.

Beijing has built several military bunkers on some of the atolls, sparking fears of a World War 3 outbreak.



US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, condemned China’s dominance in the region and urged other nations to counter the Communist nation.
South China Sea crisis mapped (Image: Express)
He tweeted: “The United States’ policy is crystal clear: the South China Sea is not China’s maritime empire.

“If Beijing violates international law and free nations do nothing, history shows the CCP will simply take more territory.

“China Sea disputes must be resolved through international law.”
Last week, tensions between Washington and Beijing hit new levels as China launched at least four ballistic missiles during military exercises around the Paracel Islands.


The US Department of Defense said the launches were a threat to peace and security in the region.

In a statement, the Pentagon said: “Conducting military exercises over disputed territory in the South China Sea is counterproductive to easing tensions and maintaining stability.

“The PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] actions, including missile tests, further destabilise the situation in the South China Sea.

“Such exercises also violate PRC commitments under the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea to avoid activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability.”
Now, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian has argued the missile launches were “routine arrangements”.

Mr Lijian argued it is the US, not China, causing trouble in the region.

He continued: “The US has become the saboteur and troublemaker of peace and stability in the South China Sea.

“The International community bears witness to these all.
“The US side should stop stirring up trouble and causing discord in the South China Sea and play a constructive role in safeguarding regional peace stability.”
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