New Pictures Of Galwan Clash Released By China A Day Ahead Of Key Meet Of CCP's Highest Governing Body

On Sunday (7 November), China released a new set of pictures that allegedly show Indian soldiers in captivity of the People's Liberation Army following the clashes in the Galvan River Valley on 15 June last year.

The pictures were posted on Twitter by Shen Shiwei, a "journalist" affiliated with the Chinese state media. Chinese troll accounts, who put out regular updates on the developments along the Line of Actual Control with India, had also posted the pictures on the micro-blogging site.

The development came just a day ahead of a key meeting of the Central Committee, the highest governing body of the Chinese Communist Party. The four-day closed-door session will be attended by 370 members of the Central Committee, including the party's top leaders, ministers and senior generals of the People's Liberation Army.

The sixth plenary session comes ahead of next year’s National Congress of the CCP, when Xi Jinping will officially seek a third term as party chief. The country's rubber-stamp legislature had abolished the two-term limit in 2018 to keep Xi in power for as long as he wishes, if not for life.

At the key meeting starting today (8 November), Chinese President Xi Jinping will release a new Chinese Communist Party history document. He will become the third party leader to unveil such a document — only the third since 1945.

The text of the resolution has been kept under wraps by the CCP and is likely to be released only after the completion of the sixth plenary session. According to state propaganda outlets, it will cover "major achievements and historic experience of the party’s 100 years of endeavours”.

China had also released pictures last month, a day after the news of its failed incursion bid near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh made headlines in India. At least one news report had claimed that India "briefly detained" a few soldiers of the People's Liberation Army after Indian and Chinese patrols came face-to-face, leading to some jostling and a minor face-off.

The pictures had emerged only a day before the 13th round of talks between India and China for discussions on the disengagement of troops from the friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

The 10 October meeting had ended without a resolution as the Chinese side did not come up with any "forward looking proposals" and was "not agreeable" to India's "constructive suggestions" for the resolution of issues at the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh.