Why is India protesting over China’s creation of 2 new counties—He’an, Hekang

India has lodged a “solemn protest” with China over the creation of two new counties—He’an and Hekang—stating that they include parts of the union territory of Ladakh.

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Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said, “We have lodged a solemn protest with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels”.

“India has never accepted the illegal Chinese occupation of Indian territory in this area,” he added.

Understanding He’an and Hekang

Last week, state-run news agency Xinhua reported that the People’s Government of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had announced the establishment of two new counties in the region—He’an and Hekang.

“The establishment of the counties, both administered by Hotan Prefecture, has been approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council,” the agency was quoted as saying.

According to India, parts of jurisdiction of these ‘so-called’ counties fall in the union territory of Ladakh.

Notably, China made the move just 10 days after the high-level meeting between the Special Representatives (SRs) of the two countries—an event meant to restart the boundary negotiations stalled for almost five years.

This is not the first time such a move has been made by the neigbouring communist country. Over the past few years, China has made several attempts to support its claim over Indian territories. However, what surprising analysts is the timing of the announcement barely 10 days after the meeting.

India-China SR talks

India and China held the SR dialogue on the boundary question in Beijing where “SRs positively affirmed the implementation of the latest disengagement agreement of October 2024, resulting in patrolling and grazing in relevant areas,” the MEA stated on December 18.

As per the MEA, the SRs of New Delhi and Beijing for boundary negotiations—India’s NSA Ajit Doval and Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi—met on December 18 for the 23^rd round of boundary negotiations.

This was the first meeting of the SRs since frictions that emerged in the western sector of the India-China border areas in 2020, it added.

The meeting restarted the process stalled for five years after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s aggressive moved along the LAC with the Indian Army countering the moves in April-May 2020.

Negotiations between the two countries started after a deal between the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA on patrolling in Depsang and Demchok in October.

MEA’s December 18 statement

“The SRs meeting was in accordance with the decision taken during the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan to oversee the management of peace and tranquillity in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question,” the MEA stated.

“SRs reiterated the importance of maintaining a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question, and resolved to inject more vitality into this process,” it added.

Both SRs underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas to promote overall development of the India-China bilateral relationship, the MEA said.

“They (SRs) also emphasised the need to ensure peaceful conditions on the ground so that issues on the border do not hold back the normal development of bilateral relations.

“Drawing on the learnings from the events of 2020, they discussed various measures to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border and advance effective border management. They decided to use, coordinate, and guide the relevant diplomatic and military mechanisms towards this purpose,” it also added.