China has defended its recent release of a controversial map depicting India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as part of its own territory by suggesting that India should avoid “over-interpreting” the act. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson stated that the map, released by the country’s ministry of natural resources on August 28, is a routine demonstration of sovereignty in accordance with the law. China urged relevant parties to remain objective and calm in their approach to the matter.
India swiftly rejected the map, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighting that China’s actions were not unprecedented. He emphasized that the territories in question are unequivocally part of India’s sovereign territory. Jaishankar stated, “Making absurd claims doesn’t make others’ territories yours.”
This map’s release followed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. As Xi’s visit to India for the G20 summit looms, this move is expected to heighten tensions between the two nations.
Over the weekend, China published its official “standard map,” including Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin, Taiwan, and the disputed South China Sea as part of its own territory. The state-run Global Times shared the map on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), presenting it as being compiled based on national boundaries.
China’s perspective on Arunachal Pradesh views it as part of its own borders, referred to as “Zangnan,” the southern region of Tibet. This stance disputes the legitimacy of the McMahon Line established during the Simla Convention of 1914 between Tibet and British India.
Regarding the Aksai Chin dispute, it stems from the failure of British imperialists to distinctly delineate the border between India and China. Presently, the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where both nations have engaged in a standoff for more than two years, separates Indian territories in Jammu & Kashmir from Aksai Chin.
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