China Reasserts Claims Over Shaksgam Valley, India Condemns Encroachment

China has intensified its territorial dispute with India by reaffirming its claims over the Shaksgam Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that its infrastructure developments in the region are entirely legitimate. This statement follows India's strong condemnation of Beijing's activities, which New Delhi views as encroachments on sovereign Indian land. The valley, situated in a strategically vital area bordering China's Xinjiang province and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, has long been a flashpoint in regional geopolitics.

In a recent media briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning declared the Shaksgam Valley as part of China's territory, emphasizing that infrastructure projects there are beyond criticism. She referenced the 1963 border agreement between China and Pakistan, describing it as a sovereign right exercised by both nations. However, the agreement itself includes a clause stipulating that negotiations would reopen post-resolution of the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, highlighting its provisional nature.

India has categorically rejected these assertions, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stating that the Shaksgam Valley remains Indian territory. He dismissed the 1963 China-Pakistan boundary pact as illegal and invalid, underscoring that India has never recognized it. Furthermore, New Delhi has criticized the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which traverses areas India claims as illegally occupied by Pakistan.

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Beijing maintains that the corridor is purely an economic endeavor aimed at fostering development and improving livelihoods, without altering its stance on the Kashmir issue. Despite this, reports indicate accelerated Chinese construction in the valley, including an all-weather road near the Siachen Glacier, following the 2017 Doklam standoff. Such activities have raised concerns about potential military implications in the sensitive border region.

Pakistan's cession of approximately 5,180 square kilometers of the valley to China in 1963, from territories it occupied unlawfully, forms the basis of the ongoing contention. India reserves the right to implement measures to protect its interests, signaling potential escalation if provocations persist. The dispute underscores the fragile balance of power in the Himalayas, with broader ramifications for South Asian stability.

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