New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Friday pointed to China’s illegal occupation of Indian territory in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, as it asserted that India does not violate China’s sovereignty, and “when it comes to sovereignty issues, it is actually India that should be and is raising them”.
This comes after China—in its readout of a meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that took place earlier this week—claimed that the Indian minister said New Delhi “respects China’s sovereignty” on issues such as Taiwan and Tibet.
“EAM (Jaishankar) said that when it comes to sovereignty issues, it is actually India that should be and is raising them. India does not violate China’s sovereignty in any manner and has been consistent,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a regular press briefing Friday.
Jaiswal added that China “has been in illegal occupation of Indian territory in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh since 1963, where India’s right is officially acknowledged even by China. Also, there are Chinese projects on territories in Jammu and Kashmir that belong to India, and we object to that”.
Jaishankar and Wang Yi met Wednesday in Manila on the margins of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting and associated dialogue mechanisms.
“India’s position on such issues as Taiwan and Xizang remains unchanged. India respects China’s sovereignty and has always pursued a positive and cooperative bilateral relationship with a forward-looking approach,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in its readout published Thursday.
In 1963, China and Pakistan signed a border treaty, with Islamabad seceding territories that belong to India. New Delhi has consistently rejected efforts by China and Pakistan to claim portions of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Jaishankar stressed the need for China to address issues of market access and trade for Indian exporters during his meeting with Wang. In his opening remarks, he welcomed the recent steps to stabilise ties between the two countries.
Ties cratered in 2020, following the clashes between India and China in Galwan during the summer months. The two countries agreed to disengage at the friction points across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in October 2024, which paved the way for resumption of normal diplomatic processes.
Since then, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice, in the Russian city of Kazan in 2024 and the Chinese city of Tianjin last year.
A number of confidence building measures have been implemented, including the resumption of direct air flights and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. India started issuing visas for Chinese tourists last year.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)