Even as India and China released a positive joint statement about the seventh round of Commander Level talks in Chushul near the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, the country’s Foreign Ministry issued a provocative statement about Indian territories in its regular press conference today.
Foreign Spokesperson Zhao Lijian, responded to a question about India opening a series of new bridges allowing all-weather access to the border with China, saying China does not recognise either Ladakh nor Arunachal Pradesh.
“First, China doesn't recognize the so-called "Ladakh Union Territory" illegally set up by India or the "Arunachal Pradesh", and opposes infrastructure building aimed at military contention in disputed border areas. Based on the consensus reached by the two sides recently, neither side should take any action that might complicate the situation at the border region, so that bilateral efforts to ease tension will not be undermined,” he said.
“For a while, the Indian side has been stepping up infrastructure building and military deployment along the border with China. This is the root cause of tensions. We urge the Indian side to earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two sides, refrain from taking actions that will complicate the situation, and take concrete measures to safeguard peace and tranquility along the border,” Lijian said.
The statement was made as part of a largely-defensive press conference where Lijiang fended back international criticism of China’s actions in the wake of the pandemic. Lashing out at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his remarks calling on the world to take the threat from China seriously, he said Pompeo was acting out of “ideological prejudice” and “political self-interest”. He accused the US of sowing division over the world, saying China “has always been a staunch guardian of international fairness and justice.”
China has said before that it does not recognise the UT of Ladakh “illegally established by India” and had called the abrogation of Article 370 illegal. At the time, in 2019, China said the move challenged Beijing’s sovereignty.
A tense stand-off between both sides has ensued since May, with 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers losing their lives in a clash in June at Galwan Valley. The hostilities have seen shots fired for the first time in decades along the border.