A Russia-India-China virtual summit at the foreign ministers’ level on cooperation against COVID-19, scheduled for June 23, has been postponed, due rising tension and confrontation between India and China, although both countries have said they wanted to de-escalate.
The Hindustan Times reported June 21: “A significant change in Rules of Engagement (ROE) by the Indian Army following the Galwan Valley skirmish that left 20 Indian soldiers dead, gives complete freedom of action to commanders deployed along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) to handle situations at the tactical level, two senior officers said on Saturday on condition of anonymity. The commanders will no longer be bound by restrictions on the use of firearms and will have full authority to respond to extraordinary situations using all resources at their disposal, said one of the officers cited above.”
The paper quoted another commander: “With the changes in the ROE, there’s nothing that limits the ability of Indian commanders to take whatever action they deem necessary on the LAC. ROE have been amended to address the brutal tactics being employed by Chinese troops.”
