China says India responsible for deadly border clash

The Chinese ministry said on a social media account on Wednesday that Indian actions during the June 15 face-off violated a consensus between the two countries in a unilateral provocation.

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in physical fights with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley that day. Indian officials have said the soldiers used clubs, rocks, and their fists but no shots were fired under an agreement in the disputed border area.

China has offered no casualty toll from the combat, which was the two countries’ deadliest in 45 years.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing and New Delhi had agreed to deescalate.

The clash briefly fanned anti-Chinese sentiments in India, with small protests and a call from a local confederation of traders for a boycott of Chinese products.

However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to downplay the incident by acknowledging that there had been no violation of Indian territory.

“Nobody has intruded into our border, neither is anybody there now, nor have our posts been captured,” Modi said in a televised speech on Friday.