India has raised a strong objection to China’s new map that asserts sovereignty over areas that India considers its own, further escalating tensions between the two neighboring Asian nations over their shared border.
The protest was formally lodged by New Delhi on Tuesday, responding to reports in the Indian media indicating that Beijing had unveiled an official “standard map” showcasing Indian territories, including the state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin plateau, as part of Chinese territory.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi expressed the country’s strong dissent, stating, “We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so-called 2023 ‘standard map’ of China that lays claim to India’s territory.”
Bagchi reiterated that India firmly rejects these claims as they lack any valid basis, emphasizing that such actions from the Chinese side complicate the ongoing efforts to address the boundary dispute between the two nations.
The disputed areas marked on the Chinese map include Arunachal Pradesh, situated in the northeastern part of India, and the Aksai Chin plateau, a strategically significant region linking Tibet and western China.
China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, and in April, released a map renaming several places within the Indian state as part of “Zangnan,” or southern Tibet. The Aksai Chin plateau, though claimed by India, remains under China’s control.
Also Read: US Accelerates Deployment Of Drones And Advanced Military Tech To Counter China’s Dominance
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar dismissed China’s territorial claims as baseless, emphasizing that asserting such unfounded ownership over Indian territories does not alter the reality of their sovereignty.
The relationship between the two countries has been strained since a violent clash between their soldiers in the Himalayas in June 2020, resulting in casualties on both sides.
While the overall border situation has stabilized since the 2020 violence, localized stand-offs continue along certain points of the border, with significant troop deployments on both sides in the western Himalayas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that separates the nations.
The protest over the map comes shortly after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
The Indian Prime Minister reiterated concerns about the Himalayan frontier during the meeting, emphasizing the importance of observing and respecting the Line of Actual Control.
India has also invested substantial resources in connectivity projects along its border to enhance civilian presence and establish new paramilitary units in the region.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
