India to boycott opening, closing ceremony at Beijing Winter Olympics
India has announced that its envoy in China will boycott the opening and closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated this in his weekly briefing on Thursday. The development came after China chose one of its soldiers involved in the Galwan Valley clash as a torchbearer in the games.
Why does the story matter?
The announcement came at a time when the two neighbors have not had the best of relations since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. Both sides suffered multiple casualties during the clash that occurred in June. Since then, India and China have been locked in a military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
'Regrettable that China chose to politicize Olympics'
"We have seen the reports on this issue. It is indeed regrettable that the Chinese side has chosen to politicize an event like the Olympics," said the ministry. "I wish to inform that our Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of India in Beijing will not be attending the opening or the closing ceremony of the Beijing '22 Winter Olympics," it added.
Who is the torch bearer?
Qi Fabao, a commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), was leading the army on June 15, 2020, during the Galwan Valley clash. He later received a commendation from the Chinese government. Notably, an investigative report by the Australian newspaper The Klaxon has claimed that Fabao was "hit in the head by an Indian army solider", and "rushed back with serious injuries".
News portal linked to Chinese government posts Fabao's pictures
In a tweet, Global Times, an English-language news portal linked to the Chinese government, posted Fabao's photographs. "Qi Fabao, a PLA regiment commander who sustained head injury while fighting bravely in the #Galwan Valley border skirmish with #India, is a torchbearer during Wed's #Beijing2022 Winter Olympic Torch Relay (sic)," tweeted Global Times on Wednesday.
