India had on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with China for the map that was released days after PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinpingin Johannesburg.Xi is expected to visit India for the G20 summit next month but China has so far not made any official announcement.
“On August 28, the ministry of natural resources of China released the 2023 edition of the standard map. It is a routine practice in China’s exercise of sovereignty in accordance with the law. We hope relevant sides can stay objective and calm, and refrain from over-interpreting the issue,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said when asked about India’s protest.
While the map itself is not new, its release in the middle of renewed efforts to resolve the military standoff in eastern Ladakh has raised questions about China’s commitment to the exercise. In its response on Tuesday, the government had warned China that such steps would only complicate resolution of the boundary question.
Foreign minister S Jaishankar had described the Chinese move as absurd but also said this was an old habit of Beijing. “Making absurd claims does not make other people’s territories yours,” he had said.
