India-China tensions escalate as soldiers hurl stones at each other in Kashmir

China has stepped up its rhetoric in an increasingly tense border row with India (AFP/Getty Images)

Officials say Indian and Chinese soldiers hurled stones at one another during an altercation in the high Himalayas in Indian-controlled Kashmir, escalating the tensions between two nations already engaged in a lengthy border standoff elsewhere.

Police and Indian army officials said Wednesday the Chinese soldiers hurled stones while attempting to enter Ladakh region near Pangong Lake on Tuesday but were confronted by Indian soldiers. They said Indian soldiers retaliated but neither side used guns.

Soldiers from the two countries are already locked in a bitter but non-violent standoff in Doklam, an area disputed between China and India's ally Bhutan, where New Delhi sent its soldiers in June to stop China from constructing a strategic road.

Associated Press