New Delhi, August 30th: Reports indicate that Chinese military forces have escalated their construction efforts, focusing on reinforced bunkers and subterranean tunnels within Aksai Chin. This information is drawn from satellite imagery data, highlighting ongoing construction activities in Aksai Chin – a region unlawfully occupied by China but historically asserted by India.
The reports detail that Chinese military personnel are actively engaged in carving tunnels and shafts along a narrow river valley, with the purpose of erecting bunkers and shelters. This development follows closely after China’s release of a “standard map” on Monday, laying claim to portions of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh within its jurisdiction.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in response to the map’s release, remarked on Tuesday that China’s dissemination of maps featuring territories not rightfully theirs is a recurring behavior. He emphasized that the act of presenting these maps does not alter the actual territorial boundaries and asserted that India remains steadfast in defining its own territory. He labeled China’s claims as groundless and pointed out the futility of such baseless assertions.
On the same day, India lodged a vehement protest with China regarding the release of this “standard map.” Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, communicated the protest, underscoring that these claims by China lack any valid foundation. He further explained that China’s actions serve only to complicate the ongoing efforts towards resolving the boundary issues between the two nations.
Curiously timed, the release of this map precedes the upcoming G20 summit, slated to occur in New Delhi on September 9th and 10th. During the informal exchange between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in South Africa last week, Modi expressed New Delhi’s concerns regarding unresolved matters along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and other contentious areas along the India-China border.
