Source: Mint | Original Published At: 2023-08-29 13:50:40 UTC
Key Points
- China's 2023 'standard map' claims Arunachal Pradesh (South Tibet) and Aksai Chin as Chinese territory
- Indian Ministry of External Affairs lodged formal diplomatic protest against China's territorial claims
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar criticized China's 'absurd claims' and 'old habit' of territorial assertions
- Modi-Xi meeting at BRICS Summit addressed border issues including Line of Actual Control (LAC) disputes
- China previously renamed Indian locations in 2017, 2021, and April 2023, escalating tensions
China on 28 August, Monday released the 2023 edition of its “standard map,” which shows the state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region as part of its territory. This has garnered severe reaction from political opposition leaders in India.
The map released by China shows Arunachal Pradesh which China claims as South Tibet and Aksai Chin occupied by it in the 1962 war as part of its territory. Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea are also included within the Chinese territory in the new map.
Later in the day the External affairs ministry of India said that it strongly opposed the move by China.
“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. We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question”, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement, reported by Hindustan Times.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday stated that it is an “old habit” of China to stake claim on territories that do not belong to them. In an interview with NDTV, the foreign minister dismissed Beijing’s “absurd claims” and said “putting out a map does not mean anything.”
Recently Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping met on the side lines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra had said in his conversation with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Modi highlighted India’s concerns on unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas.
“The Prime Minister underlined that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship. In this regard, two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation,” Kwatra had said.
This is not the first time that Beijing has employed such tactics.
In April this year, China had unilaterally “renamed” as many as 11 Indian locations, which included names of mountain peaks, rivers and residential areas.
Previously in 2017 and 2021, China’s Civil Affair Ministry had renamed other Indian locations triggering another political confrontation. New Delhi called out China’s expansionist plans then.