There is a possibility that the relationship between India and China will once again go through a complicated phase. Because Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday rejected India’s claim on Shaksgam Valley of Jammu and Kashmir.
Asked about border issues and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Mao said, “The area you mentioned belongs to China. It is completely appropriate for China to build infrastructure on its own soil.”
The spokesperson further said that China and Pakistan had signed a border agreement in the 1960s demarcating the boundary between the two countries and that the agreement was an exercise of the rights of two sovereign states.
According to the Global Times report, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson further said that CPEC is an economic cooperation project aimed at promoting local economic and social development and improving the living standards of the people. Mao stressed that the border agreement between China and Pakistan and CPEC do not affect China’s stance on the Kashmir issue, and said that China’s stance on the matter has not changed.
Shaksgam Valley is bounded by Xinjiang province of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the north, the northern areas of PoJK to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east.
Earlier on January 9, India had strongly condemned China’s infrastructure construction through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the Shaksgam Valley, terming it as “illegal and invalid”, adding that the area is an “integral and inseparable part” of India.
During the weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India has never recognized the so-called China-Pakistan Border Agreement of 1963 or the so-called CPEC.
Jaiswal said, “The Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognized the so-called China-Pakistan border agreement of 1963. We have consistently maintained that this agreement is illegal and invalid. We also do not recognize the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Indian territory, which is forcibly and illegally occupied by Pakistan.”
He reaffirmed that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India, and said New Delhi has consistently protested to the Chinese side on this matter and reserved the right to defend its interests.
The MEA spokesperson further said, “The entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly conveyed to the Chinese and Pakistani authorities several times. We have consistently opposed Chinese efforts to alter the ground reality in the Shaksgam Valley. We also reserve the right to take necessary steps to protect our interests.”
