JOIN USIndia rejects Chinese opposition to Ladakh's UT status
After Pakistan, its “all-weather ally” China too on Tuesday criticized India's decision to reorganise Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state into two Union Territories (UTs) and denounced it as “unilateral” and “unacceptable”.
A day after New Delhi announced its decision to turn J&K into a UT with legislature and Ladakh into another UT without legislature, Beijing alleged that India's move to include the territory of China into its administrative jurisdiction had undermined the sovereignty of the communist country.
Beijing was irked as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government reiterated that just as the entire J&K state had remained an integral part of India, the two new UTs too would include, not only India's territory under illegal occupation of Pakistan, but also areas Pakistan had illegally ceded to China in 1963 as well as Aksai Chin.
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New Delhi strongly reacted to the critical statement from Beijing – reiterating that its move to amend the Article 370 to strip Jammu and Kashmir of the special status and to reorganise the state into two UTs was an “internal” affair of India. “India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise,” Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in New Delhi.
“China is always opposed to India's inclusion of the Chinese territory in the western sector of the China-India boundary into its administrative jurisdiction. This firm and consistent position remain unchanged,” Hua Chunying, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chinese Government, said. “Recently, India has continued to undermine China's territorial sovereignty by unilaterally changing its domestic law. Such practice is unacceptable and will not come into force”.
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China urged India to “exercise prudence in words and deeds concerning the boundary question, strictly abide by relevant agreements concluded between the two sides and avoid taking any move that may further complicate the boundary question”.
The Special Representatives of India and China have been holding negotiations since 2003 to resolve the long-pending boundary dispute.
“So far as the India-China Boundary Question is concerned, the two sides have agreed to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question on the basis of the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of India-China Boundary Question,” the MEA spokesperson said in response to the statement issued by his counterpart in Beijing. “Pending such a settlement, both sides have agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas on the basis of the relevant agreements,” Raveesh added in a statement issued in New Delhi.
Beijing on Tuesday also said that India and Pakistan should exercise restraint and act with caution, especially to avoid actions that unilaterally change the status quo and exacerbate the tension.