The Chinese army has set up five new militia units in Tibet following the deadliest military clash with India in decades, escalating tensions between the two nations as senior officials in India called for a ban on Chinese products.

The official newspaper of the People’s Liberation Army reported that the military’s new units included members that specialised in emergency rescue, extreme climbing and combat fighting. One unit was also reported to have recruited 20 members that had been trained in a Sichuan-based combat fight club that had sent athletes to local and international UFC tournaments.

The conflict happened on the Himalayan border on Monday night and involved soldiers armed with rocks, rods and spiked clubs, resulting in 20 deaths for the Indian army and dozens more injuries. Both sides have thrown blame at each other for instigating the deadliest military confrontation between the two countries in more than four decades.

Amid rising anti-China sentiment in the country, a senior Indian official on Thursday called on its citizens to stop purchasing Chinese products. Ramdas Athawale, of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, said restaurants and hotels that sold Chinese food items should also be banned.

An Indian community leader based in Hong Kong said the row has started to affect bilateral trade. According to Mohan Chugani, the former chairman of the city’s Indian Association, Indian business-owners are turning down products that are made in China, although they still remain open to products made in Taiwan.

“They think that if they purchase Chinese goods, China will be able to buy more bullets to hurt Indian soldiers,” Chugani told Apple Daily.

Another unnamed resident in New Delhi also told Apple Daily that Indian businesses are refusing to engage with Chinese companies.

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