The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has responded to the ‘standard map’ of China released by the Chinese government on Monday, August 28, which showed Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin within Chinese border. Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the MEA, issued a statement saying that they have “lodged a strong protest” against the newly issued map. The statement read, “We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so-called 2023 “standard map” of China that lays claims to India’s territory.”
The statement further mentioned that the Indian government has rejected the claims made by the new map. It said, “We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question.”
Meanwhile External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, reacted to the issue and said that making “absurd claims” does not make Indian territory Chinese. Speaking at an event, Jaishankar said, “This is not new. It started in the 1950s. By putting out a map claiming territories of India does not change anything. These territories are still very much a part of India.”
Our response to media queries on the so called 2023 “standard map” of China:https://t.co/OZUwNRNrit pic.twitter.com/sAmy20DEa6
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) August 29, 2023
The controversial map was released by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources. According to The Hindu, the latest map is expected to “standardise” the names of the 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh. This was the third such list renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh.