The Chinese military has said it handed back an Indian teenager held near the disputed Himalayan border, as a military stand-off between the two Asian powers continues.
"Recently, Chinese border guards were patrolling the territory of China's Medog county when they found an Indian man who had illegally entered Chinese territory, and carried out routine questioning and quarantine observation ... and provided humanitarian relief," said Long Shaohua, spokesman for the People's Liberation Army's Western Theatre Command, in a brief statement on Thursday, without giving further details.
The handover came after the Indian military asked for help from the Chinese side through their border hotline and the two sides had maintained "close negotiations" since then, according to the statement.
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"We urge the Indian side to strictly implement the bilateral agreement, strengthen personnel control and effectively maintain normal order in the border area," Long said.
India's defence ministry said last Thursday a 17-year-old Indian youth, identified as Miram Taron, was "reportedly abducted" by Chinese forces after going missing on January 18 from a border village in Arunachal Pradesh, known in China as Zangnan or "South Tibet".
Beijing denied the accusation and when asked during a press conference last week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he did not have information about the incident but reiterated China's claim to the 60,000 sq km (23,200 square mile) region.
"The People's Liberation Army of China controls the border in accordance with the law and combats illegal entry and exit activities," Zhao said at the time.
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India's Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju, who is a lawmaker from Arunachal Pradesh, tweeted on Thursday that the PLA had delivered the youth to the Indian Army.
"The Chinese PLA has handed over the young boy from Arunachal Pradesh, Shri Miram Taron, to Indian Army. Due procedures are being followed, including the medical examination," he wrote.
Chinese and Indian troops have been locked in a tense stand-off since a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley, in the disputed western Himalayan border region near Tibet, in 2020. The two militaries have held 14 rounds of talks since then, though troops have completely disengaged at some friction points.