Tensions have escalated as China unveils a new map asserting ownership of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, drawing swift response and demands for action from Indian political circles. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the matter, vehemently rejecting China’s claims and intensifying the diplomatic dispute.
China’s latest “standard” map, released on Monday, intricately incorporates Aksai Chin, occupied during the 1962 war, and Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as part of South Tibet, within its territory. The map also reaffirms China’s claim over the entire South China Sea, a stance seen in previous editions.
“I have been saying for years that what the PM said, that not one inch of land was lost in Ladakh, is a lie. The entire Ladakh knows that China has transgressed. This map issue is very serious. They have taken away the land. PM should say something about it,” Rahul Gandhi expressed before his departure for Karnataka.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in an exclusive interview with NDTV, played down the significance of the map, suggesting that China has a historical tendency to release such maps, often showcasing territories that do not belong to them. He stated, “Just by putting out maps with parts of India… this doesn’t change in anything. Our government is very clear about what our territory. Making absurd claims does not make other people’s territories yours.”
India swiftly registered its protest against the contentious map through diplomatic channels. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, emphasized that the claims held no factual basis and further added that China’s actions only serve to complicate the ongoing boundary resolution process.
The unveiling of the map arrives at a critical juncture, just ahead of India’s participation in the G20 Summit, scheduled for September 9-10. The situation casts a shadow over the diplomatic landscape, particularly considering the recent agreement between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping for “expeditious de-escalation” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the BRICS summit in South Africa.
This development follows China’s prior announcement of new Chinese names assigned to 11 locations in Arunachal Pradesh earlier this year. India firmly rejected these renamings, asserting that Arunachal Pradesh remains an integral part of India, and that China’s efforts to alter the state’s administrative reality through naming maneuvers hold no validity.
The tensions between India and China, heightened by the prolonged border standoff in eastern Ladakh since May 2020, persist. Despite multiple rounds of talks on de-escalation, the two nations remain locked in a standoff, making this latest map release a crucial addition to the complex backdrop of their diplomatic discourse.
Sources By Agencies
