Where is Shaksgam valley and why is it important? All about the fresh India-China friction and how Pakistan is involved

Shaksgam valley has become a point of debate after China on Monday re-affirmed its territorial claims over Jammu and Kashmir's Shaksgam valley and defended its construction activity, rejecting India's objections. Days after India asserted that the strategically sensitive region is Indian territory and strongly opposed Chinese infrastructure activity in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Shaksgam Valley, Beijing hit back at New Delhi, stressing that the Chinese infrastructure projects in the area are "beyond reproach". Last Friday, India criticised China's infrastructure development projects in the Shaksgam Valley, saying it reserves the right to take necessary measures to safeguard its interests as it is an Indian territory.

"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," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “We also do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Indian territory that is under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan,” he said.

On Tuesday, Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi asserted that India has never recognised the so-called China–Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963 and also does not recognise the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

All about Shaksgam valley

The Shaksgam valley, also known as the Trans Karakoram Tract, is a remote, high-altitude valley that lies north of the Karakoram range. Shaksgam valley lies within the Hunza-Gilgit region of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) and is a disputed territory and India has asserted that the sensitive region is Indian territory. In 1963, Pakistan ceded the Shaksgam Valley to China as part of a 'boundary agreement' aimed at resolving border disputes between the two nations.

Situated in the northern region, Shaksgam valley shares borders with the Xinjiang Province of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the north, the Northern Areas of POK to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east. Shaksgam valley is currently administered by China as part of Xinjiang. However, India has always asserted that Shaksgam valley is part of the former princely state of Jammu & Kashmir (now Ladakh). Pakistan took control of the region during the 1947–1948 war and later transferred it to China under the 1963 Sino-Pakistan Agreement.

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What is the dispute surrounding Shaksgam valley?

The main dispute about Shaksgam valley is who had the legal right to decide the border in the region. In the year 1963, Pakistan and China signed a boundary agreement that transferred the control of Shaksgam/Trans-Karakoram area to China. India has never accepted this 'boundary agreement' and has said Pakistan could not cede territory that India considers a part of J&K.

"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," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week during a press conference.

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"We also do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Indian territory that is under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan," he said at his weekly media briefing. Jaiswal was responding to a question on China's infrastructure development in the Shaksgam Valley.

"The entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese authorities several times," he said. "We have consistently protested with the Chinese side against attempts to alter the ground reality in the Shaksgam Valley. We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests," he added.

Shaksgam valley importance

The Shaksgam valley's location near the Karakoram passes and the Siachen region makes it strategically sensitive and important. In 2024 too, India had expressed concern over Chinese road construction in the Shaksgam valley. India has consistently rejected the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, which attempted to cede the Shaksgam area to China and assert Shaksgam Valley as its territory.

If China undertakes road construction and infrastructure development in the area, India considers it activity in territory it claims as its own. New Delhi’s concerns are driven by China’s plan to build a long, all-weather road in the Shaksgam Valley, located just a few kilometres from Indian territory. Reports indicate that China has already constructed nearly 75 kilometres of the road, which is estimated to be about 10 metres wide.

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What is China saying now?

In the backdrop of India's objections, China reaffirmed its territorial claims over the Shaksgam Valley after India said "Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory." Reacting to India's stance, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here that “the territory you mentioned belongs to China”.

"It’s fully justified for China to conduct infrastructure construction on its own territory. China and Pakistan in the 1960s signed a boundary agreement and delimited the boundary between the two countries, which is the right of China and Pakistan as sovereign countries,” she said.

On India's criticism of the CPEC, Mao repeated Beijing's narrative that it is an economic cooperation initiative, aimed at promoting local socioeconomic development and improving people’s livelihood. "The China-Pakistan boundary agreement and CPEC do not affect China’s position on the Kashmir issue and the position remains unchanged," she said.

(With agency inputs)