China indulges in pressure tactics, releases map showing Arunachal Pradesh in its territory
New Delhi: China unveiled a new map this week showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory. It replaces the previous map, which had a cutaway box showing China's declared claims over the South China Sea, as per a report in The Washington Post.
Now, Chinese citizens can "fully, directly know the full map of China," wrote the People's Daily, a state paper. "Readers won’t ever think again that China’s territory has primary and secondary claims," said the editor of the map press that published it.
China and India have long-running land border disputes. China lays claim to more than 90,000 sq km in the eastern sector of the Himalayas, while India says China occupies 38,000 square km of its territory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the west.
India regularly holds elections in Arunachal Pradesh and has been administered as part of the Indian state for decades. While, China questions India's claim to the territory and calls it South Tibet.
Reacting strongly to these reports, India said "cartographic depiction" does not change reality on the ground and asserted that Arunachal was an integral part of the country.
Asked about recent China maps, the Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said on Saturday, "The cartographic depictions do not change the reality on the ground.
"The fact that Arunachal Pradesh in integral and inalienable part of India has been conveyed to Chinese authority at several occasions including at the very highest level."
He also indicated that this may be raised by the Indian delegation, headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari, currently in China to participate in an event to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Panchsheel or Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
"It is normal practice to raise all issues of bilateral concerns," the Spokesperson said when asked if Ansari will raise it during his meetings with the Chinese leadership.
India and China fought a brief border war in 1962. The nuclear-armed neighbours signed a pact in October 2013 to ensure that differences on their shared border do not spark a confrontation.
In May 2013, the two armies were locked in a three-week standoff in the western Himalayas after Chinese troops set up a camp at least 10 km inside territory claimed by India, triggering a public outcry and calls that India should stand up to its powerful neighbour.
China's rising economy has led to growing fierceness in the region, with its expanding navy upsetting neighbours and challenging US supremacy in the Pacific.
The map is also a surprise to other neighbours of China as it counts Taiwan, which Beijing considers a rebel province, as part of China. Reportedly, a 10-dash line (as conflicting to China's previous nine-dash line) encloses most of the South China Sea, which sees around $5.3 trillion worth of trade pass through it each year.
However, according to media reports, Beijing officials have played down the new map. "The goal is to serve the Chinese public," said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson. "As for the intentions, I think there is no need to make too much of any association here."
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