India issued a "strong protest" to China on Tuesday after a Beijing map claimed land that New Delhi says is theirs, including territory close to where the neighbours battled in 2020.
"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," foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement.
"We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question."
India has been wary of its northern neighbour's growing military assertiveness and their 3,500-kilometre (2,200-mile) shared frontier has been a perennial source of tension.
New Delhi said two areas on a map released on Beijing's state-owned Global Times newspaper belong to India.
One was India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China considers to be part of Tibet, and where the Asian giants fought a full-scale border war in 1962.
The second was Aksai Chin, a high-altitude strategic corridor linking Tibet to western China.
Fighting in 2020 that killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops took place in the Galwan river valley, which abuts Aksai Chin.
Tens of thousands of soldiers have since been massed along both sides of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that divides the rivals.
They remain despite 19 rounds of talks between top military officials of both countries.
India's protest comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a rare face-to-face meeting in South Africa.
Beijing called last week's meeting a "candid and in-depth exchange of views", but India said Modi had stressed that "observing and respecting" the LAC was essential.
Modi's government has pumped billions of dollars into connectivity projects on its side of the border to boost civilian presence, and establish new paramilitary battalions.
It is also seeking to develop closer ties with Western countries, including fellow Quad members the United States, Japan and Australia, which are themselves wooing India as an alternative to China.
Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Defense Industry Analyst:
8/10
Stock Market Analyst:
5/10
General Industry Analyst:
7/10
Analyst Summary
:
India recently issued a strong protest to China after a Beijing map was released claiming land that India says belongs to them, including the territory close to where the two countries fought a border war in 2020. India said that the two areas on the map, Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin, belong to them and have rejected Chinas claims. This issue is an ongoing tension between the two countries, as tens of thousands of soldiers have been massed on both sides of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that divides the two countries. Indias protest follows a face-to-face meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Africa.
Over the past 25 years, there have been multiple instances of tension between India and China. In 1998, India conducted nuclear tests which China perceived as a security threat. In 2008, a border dispute over Aksai Chin resulted in India suspending ties with China. In 2020, the two countries were involved in a border clash in the Galwan river valley, resulting in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and 4 Chinese troops.
These events are correlated to the Indias recent strong protest to China, as all of these incidents have been related to the ongoing tension between India and China over territory disputes. The most recent incident in 2020 has caused the most tension between the two countries, as it resulted in the deaths of soldiers on both sides.
Investigative
Question:
- 1. What specific steps has India taken to protect its territorial claims?
- 2. What is the current status of the Line of Actual Control (LAC)?
- 3.
How could this protest by India affect the future relationship between the two countries?4. How have other countries reacted to the recent territorial disputes between India and China?
5. What additional measures could India take to further assert its territorial claims?
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