Chinese social media is abuzz with tributes to the four PLA soldiers who died during the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, after the Chinese government made their names public for the first time. The hashtag "Pure love, only for the country" has gone viral on social media platforms, with many users supporting the country's government and military. These officers were the regimental commander from the PLA Xinjiang Military Command Qi Fabao, Chen Hongjun, Chen Xiangrong, Xiao Siyuan, and Wang Zhuoran.
While the Chinese had played down the loss of life during the deadly clash last year, unconfirmed reports say PLA suffered about 44 casualties. "It is the real thoughts of us youngsters, we really live and breathe with the country," a Sina Weibo user said. Sina Weibo is China's micro-blogging platform like Twitter.
The Chinese government mouthpiece Global Times also quoted an expert saying if "India doesn't appreciate China's sincerity in easing border tensions and engages in aggression further, India will again be the side who pays a heavy price."
Meanwhile, a video of Chinese and Indian soldiers engaging in fists and sticks fighting had also gone viral on Chinese social media recently. Though there's no clarity on the date of the incident, many on Chinese social media are claiming it's the leaked footage from the deadly Galwan Valley clash, in which around 20 Indian soldiers had died. According to The South China Morning Post, the video first appeared online on September 8, 2020.
Indian and Chinese armies have engaged in a series of peace talks since the deadly clash last year. They held the tenth round of talks on February 20, with a focus on the disengagement process at conflict points like Gogra, Despang, and Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh. In the latest round of talks, India insisted on a faster disengagement process in the three areas to bring down tension in the Ladakh region.
The discussion, which lasted for over 16 hours on Saturday and went on till around 2 am on Sunday, took place in Moldo on the Chinese side of the eastern Ladakh border. The focal point of these talks was to bring down the tension at all friction points. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on February 11 that India and China agreed on disengagement at the North and South banks of Pangong Lake. This agreement mandates both sides to "cease" forward deployment of troops in a "phased, coordinated, and verifiable" manner.
Also read: India, China hold 10th round of military talks; focus on further disengagement in eastern Ladakh
Also read: China finally admits casualties during Galwan clash; reveals names of dead PLA soldiers