China Struggles to Mollify or Censor Anguished Relatives of Soldiers Killed on Indian Border
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) efforts to avoid disclosing how many of its soldiers were killed in a bloody brawl with Indian soldiers in the Himalayas last week are reportedly running afoul of anguished Chinese families who want their government to acknowledge the deaths of their loved ones.
The Indian government disclosed 20 fatalities from the melee, and several Indian officials have claimed China lost over twice as many of its own troops. The Chinese government has acknowledged the deaths of only a few officers so far.
The Times of India on Friday noted the first tacit admissions from Chinese state media that it suffered casualties comparable to those of the Indians:
Hu Xijin, editor of the Global Times, the Chinese Communist Party regime’s mouthpiece, wrote that “the dead have been treated with the highest respect in the military, and that information will eventually be reported to society at the right time, so the heroes can be honored and remembered as they deserve.”
The editorial came two days after a video emerged from China showing that the families of People’s Liberation Army personnel were outraged by the fact that unlike Indian soldiers, their martyrs had received no honor and no acknowledgement. Though Global Times admitted that “less than 20” PLA soldiers were killed, the government has remained tight-lipped on the issue
