Idaho Senator Jim Risch, a Republican, on Thursday condemned Beijing for choosing a soldier involved in the 2020 Galwan Valley clash between India and China as the torchbearer for the Winter Olympics. The Games will start on February 4 and will go on till the 20th. 

Qi Fabao, a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commander who suffered a head injury when China and India engaged in a border skirmish at the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, was a part of the torch relay. He took the flame from the country’s four-time Olympic short track speed skating champion Wang Meng at the Winter Olympic Park on Wednesday, as per Global Times reports.

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Risch, who is a ranking member of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, described the gesture as ‘shameful’. In a tweet, the Idaho politician further added that Fabao is also involved in ‘implementing genocide against the Uyghurs’. The Senator then reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to supporting Uyghur freedom and the sovereignty of India.

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The Global Times report calles Fabao as a hero for his role in the Himalayan battle. At least 20 Indian soldiers died in the clash. China acknowledged in February last year that five PLA troops were killed. However, a an investigative report published by Australian newspaper ‘The Klaxon’ said that China’s losses were much higher than what was reported. 

Fabao in December had appeared on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV  and said he was “ready to return to the battlefield and fight again”.