China rejects Indian claim, conducts infrastructure work in Shaksgam Valley
Beijing reaffirms stand on Kashmir, says CPEC has no impact on position
Beijing: China has stated that infrastructure construction in the Shaksgam Valley is being carried out on its territory, citing agreements with Pakistan, while India has reiterated that the region is an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir under its illegal occupation.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a report published in Global Times cited Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning to have said on Monday that the Shaksgam Valley “belongs to China” and that the ongoing infrastructure work is fully justified. She added that China and Pakistan had signed a boundary agreement in the 1960s, demarcating the border between the two countries, and that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an economic cooperation project aimed at promoting local development and improving livelihoods.
Mao emphasized that the border agreement and the CPEC “do not affect China’s position on the Kashmir issue,” and that China’s stance remains unchanged.
The Shaksgam Valley borders China’s Xinjiang Province to the north, the Northern Areas of Pakistan to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east.
Earlier this week, on January 9, India firmly rejected the infrastructure buildup by China through CPEC in the Shaksgam Valley. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the region as an “integral and inalienable part” of India and stated that New Delhi does not recognise China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963 or the CPEC route passing through the area.
Jaiswal said, “Entire Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. We have consistently protested with the Chinese side regarding attempts to alter ground realities in the Shaksgam Valley and reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests.”
The development has once again drawn attention to the strategic and geopolitical importance of the Shaksgam Valley.
