After asserting claims over India’s Arunachal Pradesh, China has now declared Kashmir’s Shaksgam Valley as part of its territory, stating that it has full rights to carry out infrastructure development there.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday (January 12), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to a question from Press Trust of India (PTI) regarding the legality of Chinese infrastructure projects in the Shaksgam Valley. She said the region in question “belongs to China,” adding that any development work there is “fully justified” as it is carried out on Chinese territory.
Mao Ning outright rejected India’s claim of sovereignty over the Shaksgam Valley, reiterating Beijing’s position that the area is an integral part of China and that development activities there fall within its legitimate rights.
Earlier, India’s Ministry of External Affairs had stated that Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory and that New Delhi reserves the right to take necessary measures to protect its interests. The Indian spokesperson also emphasized that India has never recognized the 1963 China–Pakistan border agreement, calling it illegal and invalid.
India further reiterated its opposition to the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), stating that both Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inseparable parts of India. New Delhi has repeatedly conveyed this position to both Pakistan and China.
Responding to India’s objections, Mao Ning said China and Pakistan signed a border agreement in the 1960s, which she described as a legitimate arrangement between two sovereign states. She added that CPEC is an economic cooperation initiative aimed at boosting local development and improving livelihoods, and that neither the border agreement nor CPEC affects China’s position on the Kashmir issue.
India and China have long-standing border disputes, though in 2024 the two sides reached a key understanding to reduce military tensions along the Himalayan frontier. Deadly clashes in 2020 resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops. Fresh tensions are now emerging over Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir.
