India on Tuesday firmly rejected China’s renewed territorial claims over the Shaksgam Valley, with Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi declaring the 1963 China-Pakistan boundary agreement illegal and invalid.
Speaking on the issue, General Dwivedi said India does not recognise any activities undertaken in the region based on the agreement under which Pakistan ceded territory to China.
“We do not accept any activity there. As far as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is concerned, we do not accept it and consider it an illegal action being carried out by the two nations,” the Army Chief said.
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China Defends Infrastructure Projects
General Dwivedi’s remarks came after China reiterated its claims over the Shaksgam Valley and defended infrastructure construction in the area.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the territory belongs to China and asserted Beijing’s right to carry out development activities.
“The territory you mentioned belongs to China. It is fully justified for China to conduct infrastructure construction on its own territory,” Mao told reporters, citing the 1963 Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement as a legitimate accord between two sovereign states.
India Rejects 1963 Agreement
India has consistently rejected China’s position, maintaining that the Shaksgam Valley is part of Indian territory and that the 1963 agreement has no legal validity.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has repeatedly stated that the agreement, signed on March 2, 1963, is illegal as Pakistan had no authority to cede territory in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to China.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated last week that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India, and that New Delhi has conveyed this stance to both China and Pakistan on multiple occasions.
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CPEC Remains a Key Point of Dispute
China has also dismissed India’s objections to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), describing it as an economic initiative aimed at regional development.
India has consistently opposed the multi-billion-dollar project, arguing that key segments of the corridor pass through Indian territory under illegal occupation, making it unacceptable from a sovereignty and security standpoint.
