India protests new Ladakh counties, says move won't legitimise China's occupation

India on Friday said it has lodged a "solemn protest" with China over establishment of two new counties in Hotan prefecture as parts of these regions fall in Indian union territory of Ladakh.

New Delhi said creation of new counties will neither have a bearing on India's long-standing and consistent position regarding its sovereignty over the area nor lend legitimacy to China's "illegal and forcible" occupation of the same.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has never accepted the "illegal" Chinese occupation of Indian territory in the area.


"We have seen the announcement pertaining to the establishment of two new counties in Hotan Prefecture of China. Parts of jurisdiction of these so-called counties fall in India's Union Territory of Ladakh," he said, adding, "We have never accepted the illegal Chinese occupation of Indian territory in this area."


"Creation of new counties will neither have a bearing on India's long-standing and consistent position regarding our sovereignty over the area nor lend legitimacy to China's illegal and forcible occupation of the same," Jaiswal added.

He further said, "We have lodged a solemn protest with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels."

Jaiswal further said, "We have seen the information released by Xinhua on 25 December 2024 regarding a hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. As a lower riparian state with established user rights to the waters of the river, we have consistently expressed, through expert-level as well as diplomatic channels, our views and concerns to the Chinese side over mega projects on rivers in their territory."


These have been reiterated, along with need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries, following the latest report. The Chinese side has been urged to ensure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas, Jaiswal said, adding, "We will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests."

China has approved construction of a mega-dam in Tibet that could generate three times more power than the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest capacity hydropower plant, but may reduce flow of water in the Brahmaputra River to a certain extent.

The dam is approved to be built on Yarlung Tsangpo river, which becomes Brahmaputra when it enters India.

Located near Arunachal Pradesh, the project raises geopolitical, environmental, and seismic concerns. The building of the dam presents unprecedented engineering challenges as the area is seismologically vulnerable.