'Absurd claims': India's foreign minister Jaishankar slams China over new map

India's foreign minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday (Aug 29) called out China's "absurd claims" for showing Indian territories as theirs in the new so-called "standard maps" issued by Beijing.

Speaking at a conclave in the capital New Delhi city, Jaishankar said that it was an "old habit" of China to put out maps claiming territories that don't belong to them, and added that the Modi government is very serious about the issue.

"China has put out maps with territories not theirs. Old habit. Putting out maps with parts in India doesn't change anything. Our government is very clear about territory. Making absurd claims does not make other people's territories yours," Jaishankar told NDTV channel.

The "standard maps" 2023 edition was issued by Beijing on Monday (Aug 28) which showed certain Indian areas, like Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Aksai Chin region as part of China.

It also laid claim to Taiwan and some regions of the disputed South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have all claims over the latter.

New China map shows Arunachal Pradesh as part of China

India lodges protest 

India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that New Delhi has registered "strong protests" through diplomatic channels against the publication of the map.

"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”.

Comes after Modi-Xi meeting 

The provocative map was released just a few days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, where both leaders called for de-escalation of tensions in eastern Ladakh near the Indo-China border. 

Notably, this is not the first time that China has put out maps showing Indian territories as its own. And each time, the Indian government has strongly retorted to their illegal claims. 
 
New Delhi has repeatedly told Beijing that "Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India".

In April this year, China renamed 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, referring to them as "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet".

Also read | China's map claiming foreign land is 'aggression', shows Beijing's 'character'

It included precise coordinates for two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks, and two rivers, along with their subordinate administrative districts.

Also read | Ahead of G-20 summit, China wrongly depicts parts of India as Chinese territories

India and China have often faced off over an ill-defined 3,440km (2,100-mile)-long disputed border. Both nations also fought a war in 1962 over it. 

While Aksai Chin is being administered by China as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region, Beijing believes that northeastern Arunachal Pradesh forms part of southern Tibet.

(With inputs from agencies)

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