The Indian authorities react nervously to the “standard map” published by China, which includes, among others, the sizable Aksai region and the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Manish Tewari of the opposition Indian National Congress expressed strong opposition to Beijing’s actions and assured that these areas are “an inalienable part of India”.
Published on Monday “standard map China for 2023″, on which the disputed region of Aksai Chin and administered by India state of Arunachal Pradesh being designated as Chinese territory, has aroused strong reactions in India.
“Making absurd claims to Indian territory does not make it Chinese territory,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in an interview with NDTV in reaction to China’s natural resources ministry’s “2023 standard map of China.”
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Platform X/DrSJaishankar
Disputed territories including the Indian-administered state of Arunachal Pradesh, the Aksai Chin region and Taiwan and a large part of the South China Sea, separated by the so-called lines of nine lines are marked on the map as Chinese territories.
The publication of the controversial map comes just four days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the PRC leader met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africaduring which politicians agreed to intensify efforts to ease tensions on the disputed border between the two countries and withdraw thousands of their troops deployed in the disputed areas.
The opposition demands that the disputed lands be taken away from China
Manish Tewari of the opposition Indian National Congress on Tuesday expressed his strong opposition to Beijing’s actions and said the land was an “inalienable part of India”.
“China’s claims to Arunachal Pradesh are absurd, illogical and historically incorrect,” Manish Tewari tweeted.
Arunachal Pradesh state in Northeast IndiaWright Out There / Shutterstock.com
The politician also called on Modi’s government to reclaim 2,000 square kilometers of territory “illegally occupied by China” along the line separating the two countries, which has been in practice since the 1962 Indo-Chinese War.
Less than two weeks ago, the Indian website “Mint” quoted the president of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi, as saying that the claim that not an inch of Indian land was occupied by the troops of the People’s Liberation Army of China “is not true.”
Shiv Sena politician Sanjay Raut agreed with him: “China has occupied India’s land and there is evidence of it. If the defense minister and prime minister do not accept it, I think it is an injustice to Mother India.”
Main photo source: Wright Out There / Shutterstock.com