Galwan River

Galwan River
Galwan River
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	加勒萬河
Simplified Chinese	加勒万河
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Jiālèwàn Hé
Hindi name
Hindi	गलवान नदी

Galwan River
Galwan River
	Mouth of the Galwan River in Ladakh, India to the west of the Sino-Indian Line of Actual Control Galwan River (Southern Xinjiang)
Location
Countries	China and India
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Aksai Chin
• coordinates	34°44′16″N 78°46′41″E / 34.73773°N 78.77799°E
• elevation	5,450 m (17,880 ft)
Mouth
• location	Shyok River
• coordinates	34°44′57″N 78°09′56″E / 34.7491°N 78.1656°E
• elevation	4,150 m (13,620 ft)
Length	65 km (40 mi)
Basin features
River system	Indus River

The Galwan River flows from the disputed Aksai Chin area administered by China to the Union Territory of Ladakh, India. It originates near the caravan campsite Samzungling on the eastern side of the Karakoram range and flows west to join the Shyok River. The point of confluence is 102 km south of Daulat Beg Oldi. Shyok River itself is a tributary of the Indus River, making Galwan a part of the Indus River system.

The narrow valley of the Galwan River as it flows through the Karakoram mountains has been a flashpoint between China and India in their border dispute. In 1962, a forward post set up by India in the upper reaches of the Galwan Valley caused an "apogee of tension" between the two countries. China attacked and eliminated the post in the 1962 war, reaching its 1960 claim line. In 2020, China attempted to advance further in the Galwan Valley,^[1]^[2]^[3] leading to a bloody clash on 16 June 2020.

^ Ajai Shukla, A new and worrying chapter: Chinese intrusions in Ladakh gather pace Archived 3 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Business Standard, 23 May 2020: "That means that, in sending thousands of PLA troops three-to-four kilometres into the Galwan Valley, China has violated its own claim line and occupied territory that Beijing itself has traditionally acknowledged to be Indian.... Indian troops in the area were taken by surprise when a large Chinese force crossed the LAC into the Galwan area in late April."
^ Nitin J. Ticku, India, China Border Dispute in Ladakh as Dangerous as 1999 Kargil Incursions - Experts Archived 31 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine, EurAsian Times, 24 May 2020: 'An Australia-based security analyst tweeted what he claimed were satellite images of "Chinese incursion" in Galwan.'
^ Snehesh Alex Philip, Stand-off with China in Ladakh is India’s worst border tension since Kargil in 1999 Archived 25 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Print, 25 May 2020: "Now, news agency ANI has reported that Chinese troops have moved in “nearly 10-15 km from the Indian post KM 120” in the Galwan Valley, and have pitched tents and stationed themselves close to the post."

[BS_23_May-1] Ajai Shukla, A new and worrying chapter: Chinese intrusions in Ladakh gather pace Archived 3 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Business Standard, 23 May 2020: "That means that, in sending thousands of PLA troops three-to-four kilometres into the Galwan Valley, China has violated its own claim line and occupied territory that Beijing itself has traditionally acknowledged to be Indian.... Indian troops in the area were taken by surprise when a large Chinese force crossed the LAC into the Galwan area in late April."

[ET_24_May-2] Nitin J. Ticku, India, China Border Dispute in Ladakh as Dangerous as 1999 Kargil Incursions - Experts Archived 31 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine, EurAsian Times, 24 May 2020: 'An Australia-based security analyst tweeted what he claimed were satellite images of "Chinese incursion" in Galwan.'

[Print_25_May-3] Snehesh Alex Philip, Stand-off with China in Ladakh is India’s worst border tension since Kargil in 1999 Archived 25 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Print, 25 May 2020: "Now, news agency ANI has reported that Chinese troops have moved in “nearly 10-15 km from the Indian post KM 120” in the Galwan Valley, and have pitched tents and stationed themselves close to the post."

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