'Doesn't mean anything': Jaishankar dismisses new Chinese map claiming Arunachal, India lodges diplomatic protest

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 29

India dismissed the new map put out by China which claims Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as its territory besides huge chunks of South China Sea and Taiwan.

“Putting out a map doesn’t mean anything, the territories belong to India. This government is very clear about what our territories are. Making absurd claims doesn’t make others’ territories yours,” said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on China officially releasing the “2023 edition of China’s standard map”.

Meanwhile, India also 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.

In response to media queries on the so-called 2023 “standard map” of China, the Official Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said, “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,” he added.

Jaishankar, in an indirect reference to the “nine-dash-line” that claims nearly the entire South China Sea as Beijing’s territory, said “it’s an old habit of theirs”.

Besides claiming Arunachal and Aksai Chin, which it occupied in the 1962 war, China has also claimed Taiwan and South China Sea in the newly released map. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its mainland and its integration with the mainland is part of a vowed objective of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese claims over the South China Sea are contested by a host of countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

The 2023 map was released on Monday and its launch was highlighted on western social media platforms by the Beijing-controlled Global Times which, it said, has been launched on the website of the “standard map service hosted” by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

In April, New Delhi had rejected China “renaming’’ several locations in Arunachal Pradesh. This was the third attempt after two previous ones in 2018 and 2021.

Ironically, China has extended the same treatment to Russia, which it claims is one of its closest partners. The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources in March this year renamed eight Russian cities and territories. Vladivostok will now be called Haishenwai (Sea Cucumber Bay), and Sakhalin Island Kuedao. The renaming of 15 Russian locations coincided with China “renaming” eight townships, four mountains, two rivers and a mountain pass in Arunachal Pradesh.

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