A senior American lawmaker has made a sensational claim about Beijing’s conduct at the India–China border, linking it to the deadly 2020 Galwan Valley clash without naming it directly.
“China and India have a long history of grievances and distrust. Barely five years ago, China and India were fighting over a disputed border, and China used an electromagnetic weapon to literally melt Indian soldiers,” said US Senator Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee.
Hagerty’s remark suggests that Beijing deployed an electromagnetic weapon during a border dispute with India, a statement that has not been corroborated by any evidence. The senator implied the incident may be related to the 2020 confrontation in eastern Ladakh but stopped short of directly naming the clash.
His comments came just two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin earlier this month. The timing has raised concerns in Washington about how ties between the two Asian powers may be shifting.
US President Donald Trump also appeared to weigh in on the matter, initially saying that the US had “lost India to darkest China” before backtracking and calling New Delhi an important partner.
Hagerty said he was trying to draw attention to how international relationships evolve over time. India and China have been attempting to rebuild ties after Trump imposed steep tariffs on both countries. Last month Trump announced a 50 per cent tariff on goods from India, including a 25 per cent penalty for its purchase of Russian oil.
Trump, however, has signalled a significant thaw in the relations over the past few days, saying he feels “certain” that there will be "no difficulty" for the two countries to come to a “successful conclusion” in trade talks and he looks forward to speaking with his "very good friend” Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming weeks.
What happened in Galwan
India-China relationships hit their lowest point in six decades in May 2020 with a military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control. It was the first deadly clash between the two countries on their disputed border in 45 years, delivering a major blow to bilateral relations.
On June 15, 2020, a violent confrontation lasting seven hours left 20 Indian soldiers, including a commanding officer, dead. While Beijing initially acknowledged casualties without specifying numbers, reports suggested Chinese losses could have been more than double those of India.
The Galwan incident has remained a flashpoint in India–China ties ever since, shaping how both countries approach each other diplomatically and militarily.
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