China dismisses India’s objection to construction in Shaksgam Valley claimed by India as part of J&K

China has rejected Indian objections over China’s construction activities in the Shaksgam Valley, a part of Jammu and Kashmir, and has said that now it is “beyond reproach". As per a PTI report, in a reply to a question, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning claimed that the area belongs to China and Beijing is well within its rights to carry out construction on its territory.

Mao told the reporters that Shaksgam belongs to China and is justified in carrying out construction in its territory. She referred to the 1963 Agreement between Pakistan and China, saying both countries mutually agreed on the boundary. She added that the agreement was within the right of the both countries as sovereign states.

Meanwhile, New Delhi has rejected the 1963 agreement, where Pakistan ceded 5,180 sq km to China as the land in question was under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. India maintains that the region is part of Jammu and Kashmir.


External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday told the media that, “Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan ‘boundary agreement’ signed in 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid.”

He said the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an “integral and inalienable part of India”, and that this position has been “clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese authorities on several occasions”.

China, however, rejected India’s objections to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), reiterating its long-standing view that the project is an economic cooperation initiative. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao said the corridor is intended to promote local socio-economic development and improve people’s livelihoods.

“The China-Pakistan boundary agreement and CPEC do not affect China’s position on the Kashmir issue, and that position remains unchanged,” she said, adding that Beijing believes the “Jammu and Kashmir dispute is left over from history and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements”.


Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate alleged that China has claimed the Shaksgam Valley in Jammu and Kashmir as its own territory and has been carrying out construction activities there for the past several days under the guise of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Raising questions over the development, Shrinate asked how China had managed to intrude into the area after Ladakh and accused Beijing of showing “audacity” by expanding its presence further. She also questioned the BJP, saying that while such developments were taking place, BJP leaders were holding meetings with China’s Communist Party.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a multi-billion-dollar network of road, rail and energy projects linking China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s Gwadar port. India opposes the project as key segments pass through territory it claims.