India strongly protests China's inclusion of Arunachal Pradesh in new map: MEA
Arunachal Pradesh which China claims as South Tibet and Aksai Chin occupied by it in the 1962 war as part of its territory. Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea are also included within the Chinese territory in the new map. Later in the day the External affairs ministry of India said that it strongly opposed the move by China.
"We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so called 2023 “standard map" of China that lays claim to India’s territory. We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question", the ministry of external affairs said in a statement, reported by Hindustan Times. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday stated that it is an "old habit" of China to stake claim on territories that do not belong to them.
In an interview with NDTV, the foreign minister dismissed Beijing’s “absurd claims" and said “putting out a map does not mean anything." Recently Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping met on the side lines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra had said in his conversation with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Modi highlighted India's concerns on unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas. "The Prime Minister underlined that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship.
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