China lost almost 40 soldiers in Galwan: Gen VK Singh

While India lost 20 soldiers in the violent clash at Galwan area, China lost more than 40 soldiers, Union Minister General V K Singh (retired) said.

This is the first response from anyone in the government on casualties on the Chinese side in the clash.

China has not said anything about any losses in the hand-to-hand combat that took place in the heavily contested Galwan Valley in the western Himalayas, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed and at least 76 injured.

“If 20 were martyred on our (Indian) side, then there would have been at least double the casualties on their (China) side,” V K Singh, the minister for roads and transport, was quoted as telling TV News24 in an interview broadcast late on Saturday.

Singh did not provide any evidence to support his statement. He said China historically never accepted any war casualties including in the 1962 conflict with India.

China’s state controlled Global Times said earlier there had been casualties on the Chinese side but did not elaborate.

Singh said the Indian side had handed over Chinese troops who had strayed into Indian territory after the violent standoff.