Team News Riveting
After it took over eight months for the Chinese government to name and honour its soldiers who died in Galwan clash with Indian jawans, the officials had now reached the family members to know about their well-being.
According to media reports, when Chinese military officials visited Chen’s family and asked his mother whether she had any difficulties regarding daily life, Chen’s mother said that “I do not have any difficulties, I just want to know whether my son was brave when fighting.”
Chinese government’s mouthpiece had been desperately writing on the issue and asserting that “Chinese youngsters flood social media to mourn border heroes who died in clash with India with surging patriotism.” The sudden patriotism in China had come as a surprise as almost eight months had passed after the incident.
Experts on South Asia affairs said that India recognising its martyrs and honouring them with awards despite China’s objection had come as a jolt for the latter at home. China had covered up the incident and did not reveal the number and names of the soldiers who died during the clash in June 2020 when Indian troops gave a befitting reply.
For the last one week, the Chinese media had been flooded with the stories of Galwan’s fallen soldiers with reports that it had highly motivated the youths. The state-owned newspaper underlined in one of its reports, “The sacrifice of the four soldiers has taught a patriotic lesson to Chinese youngsters who have grown up in a peaceful era.”
In the video revisiting the LAC clash, users of bilibili.com, one of the most popular platforms among Chinese youngsters who used to actively leave barrages on the videos to express their feelings and opinions, left nothing but a full screen of “salute.” Many netizens said that, after viewing the video, their hearts were filled with unspoken words and they could not utter a single one.
The media campaign propelling patriotism among youths that India never practices underlined that Chinese authorities had been desperate to keep its house in order following criticism over handling the Galwan issue.
