New Delhi: China sparked off a major controversy this week by releasing a map, which incorporated areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin region, Taiwan and disputed regions of South China sea.
China’s objectionable territorial claims in Arunachal & Aksai Chin added fuel to fire, as the Congress-led Opposition has been attacking the Centre over its ‘submission & subjugation’ before the Dragon.
The 2023 map shown by Chinese state-media Global Times described Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet and Aksai Chin, which it captured in the 1962 war.
India has time & again reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh & Aksai Chin continue to be and will remain integral part of the country and China must restrain itself from making such unwarranted claims.
India-China bitter barb trade
Following China’s absurd claims, the Ministry of External Affairs protested strongly against it via diplomatic channels and said that it will further complicate the ongoing boundary negotiations.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in an unambiguously condemnation said that making such absurd claims won’t make Arunachal its territory. He also dubbed Chinese ‘border tactics’ as its ‘old habit’.
China first said that it was a ‘standard map’ and after India lodged protest, it termed it as a ‘routine exercise’. This clearly shows China’s intentions of aggravating border issues even further.
2010 map shows China’s ‘old habit’
While Rahul Gandhi accused Modi government of not standing up to Chinese aggression and claimed that ‘China has taken away our land’, a map of 2010 shows it was not different.
A China map, apparently posted on Chinese Embassy portal in 2010 reportedly shows that then also, it had described Arunachal Pradesh as its own territory.
This goes on to show that even during UPA regime in 2010 & 2012, China had laid claim over Arunachal but no such hue & cry was raised like now. The then UPA government didn’t speak much about the Chinese aggression and so was the Opposition which failed to escalate the issue.
Meanwhile, China’s expansionist designs over Taiwan and South China sea is also set to receive backlash from concerned nations. It’s claim overs Taiwan has already stirred big row and global powers have voiced strong opposition to it.
