NEW DELHI: Indian forces have detained a Chinese soldier on the disputed Himalayan frontier where the world’s two most populous countries fought a deadly battle last year, the military claimed on Saturday.

It is the second detention on the high-altitude border since the pitched battles in June in which 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed.

Both sides have since poured tens of thousands of troops and heavy weaponry into the disputed zone in the Ladakh region, currently in the grip of freezing winter temperatures.

The Indian army claimed in a statement that the People’s Liberation Army soldier was “apprehended” on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the early hours of Friday and taken into custody.

Newspaper of Chinese military says India had been informed that a soldier had gone missing

“The PLA soldier is being dealt with as per laid down procedures, and circumstances under which he had crossed the LAC are being investigated,” the statement added.

The People’s Liberation Army Daily, which is run by China’s military, said the soldier went missing in “the darkness and complicated terrain” and insisted India was informed.

“India should strictly abide by the relevant agreements between the two countries, and promptly transfer the missing person to China, to help with cooling and de-escalating the China-Indian border situation,” the newspaper added.

Another Chinese soldier was briefly held by Indian forces in the same region in October.

India and China fought a brief war in 1962. The two sides blame each other for the current standoff.

The neighbours have held several rounds of disengagement talks but failed to ease the military buildup.

India’s foreign ministry said on Friday that the two sides have agreed to a new round of talks between senior commanders.

“In the meantime, both sides have maintained communication at the ground level to avoid any misunderstandings and misjudgements,” it said in a statement.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2021