The contentious 'standard map' issued by China on August 28 that shows Arunachal Pradesh and occupied Aksai Chin as parts of its territory

On Monday, China released its 'standard map' showing Arunachal Pradesh which Beijing claims as South Tibet and Aksai Chin occupied by it in the 1962 war as part of its territory

China continues to remain adamant in claiming Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region as its own territory even after being slammed by India. Beijing has termed their ‘standard maps’ as “normal exercise of sovereignty in accordance with the law.”

This time too, China has officially released the 2023 edition of its “standard map” including the disputed areas and continued to claim over India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin region.

After India strongly protested China’s move of including Arunachal, Beijing responded on Wednesday, saying: “The release of the 2023 edition of the standard map of China is the country’s normal exercise of sovereignty in accordance with the law.”

“It’s hoped that relevant parties will treat it objectively and not over-interpret it,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson said.

On Monday, China released its 'standard map' showing Arunachal Pradesh which Beijing claims as South Tibet and Aksai Chin occupied by it in the 1962 war as part of its territory.

In the new map, Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea are also included within the Chinese territory.

On Tuesday, India's External Affairs Ministry said it strongly opposed the move by China and asserted that such steps only complicate the resolution of the boundary question.

"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 claim to India’s territory. We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question," MEA said in a statetment.

In a interview to NDTV on Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that it is an "old habit" of China to stake claim on territories that do not belong to them. He also dismissed Beijing’s “absurd claims" and said “putting out a map does not mean anything."

Not The First Time

It appears to be habit of China, as in April this year, it had unilaterally “renamed" as many as 11 Indian locations, which included names of mountain peaks, rivers and residential areas.

In 2017 and in 2021 too, China's Civil Affair Ministry had renamed other Indian locations triggering another political confrontation. New Delhi called out China's expansionist plans then.

On the sidelines of the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping were seen engaging a brief interaction. Before the conference started, PM Modi and Xi were pictured having a brief conversation before taking their designated seats.

Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra did not call it a bilateral meeting but said the conversation captured the sense of the relationship as PM Modi highlighted India’s concerns over the "unresolved issues" along the LAC and both leaders agreed to work towards early disengagement and de-escalation.

India and China have been in a stand-off situation for the last three years and relations at all levels have deteriorated due to tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The two sides have held 19 rounds of talks so far to address the boundary issues in eastern Ladakh since 2020.