'India's Gesture A Positive Sign,' Says Chinese Media As Army Hands Over Captured PLA Soldier Who Strayed Into Ladakh

In its report titled as, 'Return of PLA soldier bodes well for talks between China, India,' Global Times has said that the soldier went missing while helping herdsman find yak near China-India border on Sunday.

Representational Image/ Photo: File/ Getty Images

New Delhi: The Chinese soldier who strayed across Indian border was handed over to China on wee hours of Wednesday, a move that Chinese media has hailed as a positive gesture. Indian Army handed over the Chinese who was identified as Corporal Wang Ya Long to the People’s Liberation Army at the Chushul Moldo meeting point, last night.

How did the Chinese soldier enter Indian territory?

The Chinese solider ‘Corporal Wang Ya Long,’was apprehended by the Indian Army in the Demchok sector of eastern Ladakh on Monday after he had "strayed" across the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The incident that comes amid ongoing border dispute and amid a huge deployment of troops by the two militaries in the region, had triggered suspicion of espionage initially. However, the Army had said in its statement that the corporal would be returned to the Chinese military at the Chushul-Moldo border point after completion of formalities. As per the PLA News, the solider went missing while helping herdsman find yak near China-India border on Sunday, said a Global Times report.

Return of Chinese solider by India a positive sign: Chinese media

The return of the Chinese solider who was apprehended on Sunday from Eastern Ladakh has been termed as a positive sign by the Chinese media. A Global Times report has said that the Indian army's decision to return the Chinese soldier is viewed as a positive sign ahead of the eighth round of China-India commander-level talks this week. The report was titled as, 'Return of PLA soldier bodes well for talks between China, India.' Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesperson for the Western Theater Command of the PLA said in a statement on Monday night, "China hopes that India will hand over soon the Chinese soldier who got lost in China-India border areas on the evening of October 18 when helping local herdsmen retrieve a yak at their request.”

 India-China standoff:

Both India and China have been locked in over five months long standoff along the Line of Actual Control  in Eastern Ladakh. To end this deadlock, several rounds of diplomatic and military meetings have been held. However, no significant results have been reached. There have been seven rounds of military talks so far and an eighth one is on the cards as per the sources. The sixth round of military talks on 21 September was quite significant, as the two sides announced several mutual decisions including not sending more troops to the forward areas, avoiding unilaterally changing positions on the ground, and taking any action that would further complicate matters.