India has vehemently repudiated China’s latest display of cartographic audacity, wherein the Asian behemoth claims dominion over Arunachal Pradesh, designated by Beijing as South Tibet, and Aksai Chin, which it wrested control of during the 1962 conflict. This ostensible maneuver by China to establish territorial entitlements, a historical propensity, has been met with robust refutation by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who addressed NDTV exclusively.
Jaishankar candidly expressed that China’s propensity for circulating maps that annex lands not rightfully theirs is a familiar pattern. He resolutely conveyed that this maneuver, whereby India’s domains are included within China’s map, lacks any transformative impact on the geopolitical reality. With unyielding clarity, the government’s stance remains steadfast regarding the delineation of its territorial integrity. He further asserted that baseless claims do not translate into legitimate ownership.
The timing of China’s map release, intriguingly sandwiched between the impending G20 Summit in Delhi and the recent tête-à-tête between China’s Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the BRICS Summit in South Africa, raises questions about its intent and strategic positioning. This rendezvous between the two leaders had served as a platform for Prime Minister Modi to voice India’s concerns over unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and other zones encompassing the India-China border.
Jaishankar subtly disconnected the disengagement dialogues at the LAC from the introduction of China’s new map. The map conspicuously highlights other disputed territories such as Taiwan and vast tracts of the South China Sea, affirming China’s expansive territorial assertions. However, nations like Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei hold counterclaims in this contested expanse.
A recent Chinese publication revealed that the map, released by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources during Surveying and Mapping Publicity Day and National Mapping Awareness Publicity Week, had been meticulously compiled. This representation, based on a national boundaries drawing method, illuminates China’s continuous attempts to expand its jurisdictional footprint.
China’s previous endeavor in April, seeking to rename eleven Arunachal Pradesh locations under the banner of ‘Zangnan,’ echoes its persistent endeavor to assert dominance. India swiftly rejected this audacious proposition, asserting Arunachal Pradesh’s integral status within its sovereign framework.
While addressing these developments, Arindam Bagchi had unequivocally negated China’s claims, emphasizing that these endeavors were in vain. The minister highlighted the irrefutable fact that Arunachal Pradesh’s historical and contemporary standing as an integral component of India remains unalterable, regardless of invented nomenclatures.
This situation underscores the fragility and perilous nature of the India-China relationship. Amidst the confrontation along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector last year and the prolonged standoff in eastern Ladakh, India remains steadfast in fortifying its military preparedness along its borders.
