CPC-run newspaper claims China lost less than 20 soldiers in Galwan Valley clash

A newspaper, run by the Communist Party of China, has for the first time reported that the People Liberation Army (PLA) lost “less than 20” of its soldiers in the clash with the Indian Army personnel at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government, Zhao Lijian, on Monday evaded a question on the casualties the PLA suffered in the clash which resulted in the death of 20 Indian Army soldiers. But the Global Times newspaper, which is run by the CPC, posted on Twitter that the casualties suffered by the PLA was less than 20. It also tweeted that the Chinese Government did not release the number of PLA casualties to avoid escalation of tension between the two nations, as it was less than 20 – the number of soldiers the Indian Army had lost in the clash – and making it public might have put Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in New Delhi under pressure.

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“The reason why China did not release casualties (sic) number is that China also wants to avoid an escalation. If China releases the number which is less than 20, the Indian govt (Government) would again come under pressure: observer,” Global Times tweeted, along with the link to an article it published with the headline: “India knows ‘it can’t have a war with China”.

The article itself however has put it in a slightly different way.

“The reason why China did not release the number is that China also wants to avoid an escalation, because if China's casualties number less than 20, the Indian government would again come under pressure,” Yang Sheng and Liu Xuanzun wrote quoting “experts” of China. “Chinese experts said the official wants to placate the nationalists by making speculations to satisfy the hardliners. They do not want to put more pressure on the government to further provoke China”.

It also quoted union minister and former Indian Army chief, Gen V K Singh, telling a TV channel last Saturday: “If 20 were martyred on our [Indian] side, then there would have been at least double the casualties on their [China] side.”