Washington: In a clear attempt to sour ties between the two Asian neighbours, US senator Bill Hagerty has made the bizarre claim that China used an electromagnetic weapon to “literally melt Indian soldiers” five years ago.
Though the Republican senator did not mention the location, he was clearly referring to the 2020 Galwan clash in which 20 Indian and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers lost their lives. The incident resulted in a freezing of ties and a military stand-off between the two countries.
His remarks come at a time when a distinct thaw in relations between India and China has been witnessed after the US accused both of fuelling Russia’s war effort by purchasing crude from that country. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese president Xi Jinpeng at Tianjin recently on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
“China and India have a long history of grievances and distrust. Barely five years ago, China and India were fighting over a disputed border, and China used an electromagnetic weapon to literally melt Indian soldiers,” the senator from Tennessee said.
After the SCO Summit, US president Donald Trump had said that the US had “lost India to darkest China,” before backtracking and calling New Delhi an important partner.
Hagerty is probably aware that despite resumption of cross border trade between India and China and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a certain degree of mistrust exists among Indians regarding the northern neighbour’s true intentions.
The senator, through this comment, was trying to highlight how international relations change from time to time.
On June 15, 2020, a violent seven-hour clash had broken out between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the remote Galwan area of Ladakh. This was the worst clash between the two sides in 45 years. Indian soldiers who survived, however, said that the only weapons used by the Chinese were clubs with protruding nails. The Indians were unarmed for they had left camp for an impromptu meeting with the Chinese and had no intention of getting involved in physical violence.