‘China occupying large areas of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh’

New Delhi: India and China on Thursday engaged in a war of words over the status of Ladakh, with New Delhi upping the ante on Aksai Chin after Beijing claimed that J&K’s division challenged its sovereignty. “The Indian government officially announced the establishment of socalled Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union territories which included some of China’s territory into its administrative jurisdiction,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.

“China deplores and firmly opposes that. India unilaterally changed its domestic laws and administrative division challenging China’s sovereignty,” he said. Responding strongly, the MEA in a statement said: “The matter of reorganisation... is entirely an internal affair of India... We expect other countries to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The MEA said: “China continues to be in occupation of a large tract of area in...Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh (Aksai Chin). It has also illegally acquired Indian territories from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir...”