The Indian government on Friday strongly rejected China’s infrastructure development activities in the Shaksgam Valley under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), declaring them “illegal and invalid” and reiterating that the region is an integral and inalienable part of India. The response came during a weekly press briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), amid reports of China constructing military infrastructure and roads in the area.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal categorically stated that India has never accepted the legitimacy of either the 1963 China-Pakistan boundary agreement or the CPEC project that passes through the disputed region. Emphasising India’s long-standing position, Jaiswal said, “Shaksgam Valley is an Indian territory. We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid. We do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor either, which passes through Indian territory, which is under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan.”
J&K and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India
According to reports, he further underlined India’s sovereign claim over Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, stressing that New Delhi has repeatedly conveyed its objections to both Beijing and Islamabad. Reaffirming India’s stance, Jaiswal said, “The entire UTs of J&K 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 protested with the Chinese side for its attempts to alter the ground reality in the Shaksgam Valley. We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests.”
The comments were made in response to reports suggesting that China has been actively developing military infrastructure and road networks in the trans-Karakoram Shaksgam Valley, a region that Pakistan ceded to China under the “so-called” 1963 boundary agreement. India has always said that the agreement between Pakistan and China is illegal because the territory belongs to India.
MEA expressed its concerns about the Karakoram boundary
MEA further said that the coordination of China and Pakistan along the Karakoram boundary which covers more than 590 kilometres, is a violation of India’s legal rights in the region. China has also repeatedly over the past few years violated the Line of Actual Control (LAC) through repeated incursions to establish its strategic presence.
India has voiced its concerns over these actions that challenge the status quo in these areas, saying that such actions jeopardise the stability of the region and violate India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity over Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
