China Provokes India Again, Claims Indian Territory As Its Own
In a media briefing, Mao Ning dismissed India's concerns, stating that China’s infrastructure activities are "beyond reproach
China on Monday firmly rejected India's protests regarding infrastructure development in the strategically sensitive Shaksgam Valley. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning declared that the Shaksgam Valley is "fully" Chinese territory.
In a media briefing, Mao Ning dismissed India's concerns, stating that China’s infrastructure activities are "beyond reproach." She argued that the 1963 agreement was a sovereign right of China and Pakistan and claimed that CPEC is strictly a "socioeconomic development" initiative.
Ning was asked, "Shaksgam valley is an Indian territory and India have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan "boundary agreement" signed in 1963 and has consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid. Critics also say that China is trying to seek to validate its hold on the area with investments. What’s China’s comment and response to this?"
To which Ning responded, "The territory you mentioned belongs to China. It’s fully justified for China to conduct infrastructure construction on its own territory. China and Pakistan in the 1960s signed a boundary agreement and delimited the boundary between the two countries, which is the right of China and Pakistan as sovereign countries."
"The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as an economic cooperation initiative, aims at promoting local socioeconomic development and improving people’s livelihood. The China-Pakistan boundary agreement and CPEC do not affect China’s position on the Kashmir issue and the position remains unchanged," said China.
What Is The Shaksgam Valley Dispute?
The Shaksgam Valley, a 5,180-square-kilometer tract of land, was originally part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. While India maintains the entire region is an "integral and inalienable" part of its union, Pakistan ceded the valley to China under a 1963 "Boundary Agreement."
India has never recognised this pact, consistently terming it "illegal and invalid." New Delhi further objects to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship Belt and Road Initiative project, asserting that it violates Indian sovereignty by passing through territories under illegal Pakistani occupation.
