New Delhi: Countering China’s recent unveiling of a map asserting its authority over regions including Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin, Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar emphasised that making absurd claims over territories wouldn’t make them theirs.
Speaking at the NDTV Decodes G20 Conclave, the Union Minister, calling the release of such maps an old habit of China, said: “China has even in the past put out maps which claim the territories which are not China’s, which belong to other countries. This is an old habit of theirs. It is not something which is new. It started in the 1950s… We are very clear what our territories are. This government is very clear about what we need to defend our territories. You can already see that on out borders. I think there should be no doubt about that. Making absurd claims does not make other people’s territories yours.”
Earlier in the day, China unveiled its 2023 “standard map,” compiled based on its interpretation of national borders with various countries worldwide. The map, displayed by the Global Times, indicated China’s asserted control over Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers to as South Tibet, as well as Aksai Chin, a region occupied by China following the 1962 conflict, according to reports from news agency PTI.
The map also incorporated Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory though the island sees itself as sovereign nation, and the nine-dash line, claiming a large part of the South China Sea, according to the news agency.
Earlier this year, in April, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reiterated India’s position on Arunachal Pradesh in response to China’s release of names for the region in different languages. Bagchi asserted, “Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will always be an integral part of India.”
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