China Claims Kashmir’s Shaksgam Valley, Defends Infrastructure Construction

Beijing, January 13: China on Monday laid claim to the Shaksgam Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, rejecting India’s assertion that the region is an integral part of its territory and defending infrastructure development in the area.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the territory belongs to China and justified construction activities being carried out there. “The territory you mentioned belongs to China. It is fully justified for China to conduct infrastructure construction on its own territory,” Mao said while responding to questions on border issues and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

She further stated that China and Pakistan had signed a boundary agreement in the 1960s, under which the borders between the two countries were demarcated, calling it a legitimate exercise of the rights of two sovereign nations.

According to a report, Mao said that the CPEC is an economic cooperation project aimed at promoting local economic and social development and improving people’s livelihoods. She added that the China-Pakistan boundary agreement and the CPEC do not affect China’s position on the Kashmir issue, stressing that Beijing’s stance on the matter remains unchanged.

The Shaksgam Valley lies north of the Siachen Glacier and borders China’s Xinjiang region to the north, and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) to the south and west.

China’s statement comes days after India strongly rejected Beijing’s infrastructure activities in the Shaksgam Valley. On January 9, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed China’s actions “illegal and invalid” and reiterated that the region is an “integral and inalienable part” of India.

During a weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has never recognised the “so-called” China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963 or the CPEC passing through the region.

“Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid. We do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor either, which passes through Indian territory under the forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan,” Jaiswal said.

He reaffirmed that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India, adding that New Delhi has consistently protested against China’s attempts to alter the ground reality in the region.

“The entire UTs of J&K and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly conveyed to the Chinese and Pakistani authorities several times. We have consistently protested with the Chinese side for its attempts to alter the ground reality in the Shaksgam Valley. We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests,” the MEA spokesperson added.