India promises to return missing Chinese soldier: PLA

Beijing: China has called on India to immediately return its soldier who went astray in the China-India border area and was found by Indian troops.

Due to darkness and complicated geography, a soldier of the Chinese People’s Liberation

Army (PLA) frontier defense force went astray in the China-India border early Friday morning, and the PLA frontier defense force notified the Indian side of the information the first time, hoping the Indian side could assist in search and rescue of the lost Chinese soldier, according to a statement issued by People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Nearly two hours later, the response from the Indian side came, confirming that the missing soldier had been found and would be returned to the Chinese side after receiving instructions from the superior authority.

Certain Indian media’s hyping of the incident didn’t square with the facts. The Indian side should strictly adhere to relevant agreements reached by the two countries and waste no time to return the lost soldier to the Chinese side, so as to add positive factors for de-escalating the border tensions between the two countries and jointly maintaining peace and tranquility in the China-India border areas.

The Indian army agreed and promised to return the soldier after obtaining permission from their superior, said the statement, which asked India to abide by relevant agreements reached between the two sides.

“We hope the Indian side could keep its promise and return the soldier as soon as possible,” the statement said, urging India to play a constructive role in easing tensions in the border areas and to jointly defend peace and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, China and India are working on the situation of a Chinese soldier who lost his way in the China-India border area, with him later being held by the Indian side, sources close to the matter told the Global Times.

Indian media reported that a Chinese soldier was apprehended by Indian troops near the south bank of Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh on Friday.

Sources close to the matter told the Global Times that the soldier lost his way and was captured by the Indian side. China and India are negotiating the situation.

There were previously occasions when soldiers from both sides lost their way and crossed the border.

In October, a PLA soldier went missing while helping a herdsman find his yak along the China-India border. After China urged India to help in the search, India later notified China that a missing person from China had been found and would be returned to China after a medical exam.