Source: Hindustan Times | Original Published At: 2023-08-29 13:40:59 UTC
Key Points
- India formally protested China's 2023 'standard map' claiming Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin
- China's map also asserts sovereignty over Taiwan and South China Sea via 'nine-dash line'
- Diplomatic tensions escalate ahead of G20 summit in New Delhi
- MEA rejects Chinese territorial claims as baseless, complicating border dispute resolution
- Modi-Jinping interaction at BRICS Summit highlighted unresolved LAC issues
India on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with China on the latest map unveiled by the neighbouring country that claimed Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as its own territories. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
“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.
A massive controversy erupted after the People’s Republic of China released the 2023 edition of its ‘standard map’, staking its claims over Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin region, Taiwan and the South China Sea.
The map has been released despite India’s repeated stand that Arunachal Pradesh has always been and continue to be an integral part of the country.
Chinese website Global Times in a post on social media platform X, formerly called Twitter, said that the ‘standard map’ has been compiled based on the drawing method of the national boundaries of China and various countries in the world.
The map also incorporated China’s claims over the estranged island of Taiwan and the nine-dash line claiming a large part of the South China Sea. Beijing has always claimed Taiwan as part of its mainland and its integration with the mainland is part of a vowed objective of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
China’s latest provocation comes days ahead of the scheduled G20 meeting in New Delhi which will be attended by several world leaders including Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Jinping briefly at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. The PM had highlighted India’s concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC.
“The prime minister underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas, and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship”, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra had said.