CHINESE road-builders were caught up in a dramatic face-off after being confronted by Indian troops as they tried to carry out work on disputed territory.
Construction teams reportedly had crossed into the town of Arunachal Pradesh - an area India considers to be one of its 29 states, but China claims the zone as part of southern Tibet.
The territory became a key focus of a 1962 war fought between the Asian giants, and remains a hotly contested region.
At the end of December, Chinese personnel almost came to blows with Indian officials are they were allegedly caught doing railway track construction work in the area.
When the workers were confronted by Indian troops, they returned but left their road building equipment - which was damaged by locals in a fit of rage.
Witness Nyomin Tekseng said that two excavator machines were confiscated.
He added: "The road cutting is also clearly visible from the right bank of Siang river at Gelling which is about 7-8 km by aerial distance from the site.
“Indian and Chinese troops had pitched tents at the freshly cut road and had erected a boulder wall.”
When locals first spotted the Chinese road-builders, they informed the police who in turn spread the news - and even the Indian Army was deployed to settle the dispute.
There was reportedly an exchange of words as Chinese workers initially refused to yield, but later left the site.
The incident took place on December 28, nearly four months after the end of the 73-day long Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector.
But China’s Foreign Ministry denied having knowledge about reports that its troops were locked in a standoff.
A spokesman said the two countries had mature border controls and maintaining peace along the border was important for both.
And ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang reiterated China’s stance of not acknowledging the existence of “Arunachal Pradesh”.
He said: “First of all, on the border issue, our position is clear and consistent. We never acknowledged the existence of so-called Arunachal Pradesh.”
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