India’s soldiers who fought to defend the country’s interests in the disputed Himalayan border did not die in vain, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his first comments about the ongoing military conflict with China.

At least 20 Indian troops were killed in what the Indian army called a “violent face-off” on the disputed border in Ladahk. China has not announced a confirmed casualty toll on its side, but the India-based news agency Asia News International said at least 43 Chinese soldiers were injured or killed.

On Wednesday, bilateral tensions continued to rise as Modi addressed his nation.

"India wants peace but when provoked, India is capable of giving a fitting reply, be it any kind of situation,” he said, assuring the nation that the loss of the soldiers would “not be in vain”.

"For us, the unity and sovereignty of the country is the most important."

The Indian Express reported that following the deadly clash, the army received emergency powers to combat Chinese aggression. The newspaper cited a government source as saying the arrangement would allow the Indian army to demonstrate its strength on the ground.

Pictures of Chinese President Xi Jinping were burned in Indian cities, the Guardian reported.

At China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the two sides had agreed to seek a peaceful resolution through dialogue but that the Chinese troops had been “provoked and attacked”. Zhao said China had lodged a complaint with India and called on the country to abide by the dialogue agreement.

Amid the escalating rhetoric on both sides, the Chinese military in Tibet appeared to fan the flames by releasing pictures of live-fire drills in the mountainous region of Tonggula on Tuesday. One of them was featured on the front page of People’s Liberation Army Daily.

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, urged both sides to exercise “maximum restraint.”

“We are concerned about reports of violence and deaths at the Line of Actual Control between India and China and urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint,” his spokesman said. “We take positive note of reports that the two countries have engaged to de-escalate the situation.”

Chinese military expert Wang Yunfei said in a commentary that the deadly clash was a result of India underestimating China’s willingness to upset India. The southeastern country might also have thought that Beijing was too busy dealing with issues in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, he said.

---------------------------------
Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app
To know more: https://bit.ly/2yMMfQE
Apple Daily mobile app latest version DOWNLOAD NOW