The Indian armed forces have released a Chinese soldier captured in the Himalayas and handed over to the Chinese military. The soldier crossed the control line between the two nuclear powers in the controversial Ladakh border area on Friday, said an Indian military spokesman for the dpa news agency. The soldier was questioned about spying on the stationing of Indian troops, local media reported.
The state-run Chinese newspaper „Global Times“ quoted an expert today who spoke of a „gesture of goodwill“ by the Indian side. The paper quoted military circles as saying that the soldier got lost on Friday „because of the darkness and complicated geography“.
In the mountain region at an altitude of 4,500 to 5,500 meters, the state border between the two most populous countries, China and India, is not clearly regulated. There have been several serious incidents since May 2020. In the worst incident, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
Both countries have so far unsuccessfully talked about easing the tension and withdrawing the numerous troops stationed there. A Chinese soldier was captured by Indian troops in October and handed over to China two days later.
