China says it did not detain Indian soldiers in clash

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members shout slogans as they burn an effigy of Chinese President Xi Jinping during a protest against China in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, June 19, 2020. India’s prime minister is meeting top opposition leaders Friday as the government tries to lower tensions with China after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash in a Himalayan border region. India and China accuse each other of instigating the fight in the Galwan Valley, part of the disputed Ladakh region along the Himalayan frontier. It was the deadliest conflict between the sides in 45 years. China has not said whether it suffered any casualties. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)

BEIJING — China said it never detained Indian soldiers after Indian media reports that China had released 10 of them late Thursday. Indian officials have also denied that Indian troops were in Chinese custody.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday that “China hasn’t seized any Indian personnel” when asked about the media reports.

The comments come as China blames India for a recent military clash at their border that left 20 people dead.

Zhao said that “the right and wrong is very clear and the responsibility lies entirely with the Indian side.”

He added that the two sides are in communication over diplomatic and military channels.

“We hope India can work with China to maintain the long-term development of bilateral relations,” he said at a daily briefing.

This week’s confrontation in the Galwan Valley, part of the disputed Ladakh region along the Himalayan frontier, was the deadliest conflict between the sides in 45 years.