China has said it never detained Indian soldiers after Indian media reports said 10 of them were released after they were captured in a high-altitude border clash in the Himalayas which also left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead.
When asked about Indian media reports on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said “China hasn’t seized any Indian personnel” after the two sides fought with nail-studded batons and hurled rocks at each other in the disputed Galwan Valley – the deadliest such clash in 45 years.
Zhao said “the right and wrong is very clear and the responsibility lies entirely with the Indian side,” according to the Associated Press.
He added the two sides are in communication over diplomatic and military channels. “We hope India can work with China to maintain the long-term development of bilateral relations,” he said at a daily briefing.
Earlier on Friday, India’s PTI news agency and other media reported that China released 10 Indian army soldiers, including at least two senior officers, late on Thursday.
Their release followed several rounds of major-general-level talks between the two armies in a bid to ease tensions, the reports said.
