Despite India’s strong objections, China reiterated its territorial claim on Shaksgam Valley on Monday. China has said that its infrastructure projects in the region are “entirely appropriate” and that it is developing in its own territory. Last Friday, India criticized the construction work being done by China in Shaksgam Valley and clearly said that it is Indian territory and India has the right to take all necessary steps to protect its interests. It is noteworthy that in 1963, Pakistan handed over 5,180 square kilometers of Shaksgam Valley from the illegally occupied Indian territory to China.
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognized the so-called China-Pakistan ‘Border Agreement’ of 1963. This agreement is illegal and invalid.” He further said that India does not even recognize the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as it passes through Indian territory which is illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan. Responding to these comments by India, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing, “The area you are referring to is part of China. China’s infrastructure activities in its own area are absolutely reasonable.”
Mao Ning claimed that a border agreement was reached between China and Pakistan in the 1960s and that it was the right of both sovereign countries. Rejecting India’s criticism on CPEC, he said that it is an economic initiative, the aim of which is to develop local economic and social development and improve the standard of living of the people. Reiterating China’s stand on the Kashmir issue, Mao said that there has been no change in China’s position on the issue of CPEC and other agreements. China’s official stance is that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute should be resolved peacefully under the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. On this, India reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and indivisible parts of India and this has been clearly stated many times to China and Pakistan.