Chinese channel airs footage of Galwan Valley clash to mark PLA Day

The focus of the video is Chen Hongjun, one of the four PLA troops killed in the brutal fight with Indian border personnel on the night of June 15, 2020.

China’s official English television channel, CGTN, has uploaded a video on one of the four People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers who died fighting Indian troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020 on social media and its website to mark the armed forces’ founding day on August 1.

Besides interviews of Chen’s family members, including his wife, the video shows edited footage of the clash between the two armies. (CCTV via AP Video) (AP)

The focus of the video is Chen Hongjun, one of the four PLA troops killed in the brutal fight with Indian border personnel on the night of June 15, 2020.

Besides interviews of Chen’s family members, including his wife, the video shows edited footage of the clash between the two armies, Chinese equipment on the banks of the fast flowing river, soldiers, mostly Chinese, wading in knee-deep water, and personnel from the two sides charging at each other.

“To mark PLA Day, also known as Army Day, CGTN’s special series brings you Chen’s story,” the CGTN video said.

The video, evidently pitched as a propaganda piece aimed at a domestic Chinese audience, begins with a one-sided introduction to the Galwan Valley clash. “Indian army violated the bilateral consensus and crossed the Line of Actual Control on June 15, 2020,” it says - a claim repeatedly dismissed by India.