India, China blame each other for fatal military border clash

Details remain scarce about a fatal clash Tuesday between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed border site, but as things stand, both sides are blaming the other.

The violence — which reportedly resulted in 20 fatalities on the Indian side, as well as unspecified casualties on the Chinese side — occurred following weeks of rising tensions between the two countries. Initially, Chinese state media pointed the finger at India, saying troops "crossed the line of actual control in the Galwan Valley region and purposefully launched provocative attacks, leading to severe clashes and casualties."

India didn't want wait long to contradict the accusation. The Ministry of External Affairs released a statement Tuesday, claiming it was the Chinese military that "unilaterally" crossed the line of control despite a "productive meeting" earlier in June that established a de-escalation process. India said it wants to find a peaceful solution, but is simultaneously committed to maintaining its territorial integrity.

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Tensions over the border are not new and have flared up every so often since the two engaged in a brief war in 1962, but some analysts are concerned about the latest incident. Not only did it result in the first deaths in a conflict between the two sides in decades, it comes in the middle of a global health crisis and at a transitional, uncertain geopolitical moment. Tim O'Donnell

This story has been updated to reflect the changing number of casualties.