China names bridges, villages after slain Galwan soldiers

China has named bridges and villages along the a highway connecting Xinjiang and Tibet provinces after its four military personnel who were killed in the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with Indian soldiers, the official media reported on Friday.

Their names now appear on the road signs along the G219 highway, which runs from the Tibet Autonomous Region to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, state-run Global Times reported.

Along the G219 highway, 11 bridges are now named after them besides their hometowns, the report said.

The naming of the places in memory of the soldiers comes days after Chinese military commander Qi Fabao, who was injured in the Galwan Valley clash with Indian troops in June, 2020, attended the ruling Communist Party of China's (CPC) Congress as a delegate.

Part of the video footage of the PLA's Galwan clash in which Qi was involved was played on the giant screens at the Great Hall of People on October 16 on the opening day of the CPC Congress which re-elected President Xi Jinping as the General Secretary of the Party for a record third term.

India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control are important for the overall development of bilateral ties. The Indian and Chinese militaries have held 16 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the prolonged border standoff.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.