China reports another clash with Soviets

Press, 9 February 1978, Page 7

China reports another clash with Soviets

NZPA-Reuter Hong Kong China has reported a new conflict with the Soviet Union along the border with Mongolia where the Soviets have large numbers of troops stationed. Radio Peking broadcasts, monitored in Hong Kong, said China had captured a saboteur carrying explosives land “attempting to create I border incidents” in Kirin, ! the province bordering on I Mongolia. The broadcast said another i incident had involved the I interception of a motorised | reconnaissance patrol from ■Mongolia in the Gobi Desert, i There was no indication (whether the patrol had conisisted of Mongolian or So]viet troops. The Chinese re-

ferred to it only as “the enemy.” In Moscow, the Tass news agency called the reports “sheer concoction,” and said, “Its authors are obviously engaged in wishful thinking.” The broadcasts also said “a grave danger” of Soviet "subversion and aggression” prevailed along the SinoSoviet border, and reported that an army unit had been commended for foiling “abnormal activities” by the Soviets.

The Chinese radio did not elaborate on the “abnormal activities” other than to say they had occurred on the Heilungkians River, which separates the two countries. The Soviets call the river the Amur.

The report said the sabo-

teur had been discovered by a two-man border patrol. After catching the suspect, a Chinese described as “a robber and a criminal,” the; patrolman had fought with him, subduing the suspect and tying him up. He was carrying “more than 130 detonators. . . explosives and a bunch of fuses,” Peking Radio reported. In the other incident, Peking Radio said a Chinese Army cavalry unit, patrol-; ling with guard dogs in the I Gobi Desert, had spotted a •cloud of dust in the dis-; stance.

It was “an enemy motor 'vehicle . . . trying to sneak into our territory when some sneaky persons tried ito alight from the vehicle and scout our territory.”