China Claims Indian Troops Crossed LAC And Fired 'Warning Shots' At Bank Of Pangong Tso Lake

China claimed that shots were fired along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the south bank of Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh on Monday.

PLA Western Theater Command spokesperson Colonel Zhang Shuili claimed that, "The Indian army again illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control in Shenpao mountain near the south bank of Pangong Tso Lake on Monday."

He further stated that, "The Indian soldiers fired warning shots on Chinese border patrol soldiers who were about to negotiate. Chinese troops had to take countermeasures to stabilise the situation."

China called this action as a serious provocation of a very bad nature and requested the Indian side to immediately stop the dangerous actions.

According to the sources, this incident from Monday was not the first time. A brief exchange of 'warning shots' took place on August 31, when Chinese troops attempted to attack and remove Indian soldiers from strategic heights in south Pangong. It was clarified that these too were merely 'warning shots' and not offensive exchange of gunfire.

The 1996 agreement on "Confidence-Building Measures in the Military Field Along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas has a clause that prohibits the use of firearms within two kilometres of the line of actual control."

A brigadier-level meeting between India and China held near Chushul on Sunday and it lasted for almost four hours but yielded no result.

China has repeatedly blamed India for the escalations and even the violent clash in the Galwan Valley where 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives and an undisclosed number of casualties occurred in the PLA. The situation at the LAC is intensifying despite multiple rounds of military and diplomatic dialogue.