China has released the 2023 edition of its standard map, incorporating disputed territories, including its claims over Arunachal Pradesh. This move comes just a week before the arrival of President Xi Jinping and other world leaders for the G20 Summit in New Delhi, and has been interpreted by top Indian government sources as a sign of China’s frustration and resort to propaganda.
The map not only reflects Chinese claims over Arunachal Pradesh but also over the Aksai Chin region, Taiwan, and the disputed South China Sea.
“Arunachal is an integral part of India and the Chinese map is illegal,” a top official said. India has repeatedly told China that “Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.
The official further added that China’s intentions are clear from the timing of the map’s release, which comes just a week after PM Modi met Xi and a week before the G20 Summit in India. “The world knows they are expansionist and have occupied territories the world over illegally,” the official stated.
The 2023 edition of China’s standard map was officially released on Monday and launched on the website of the standard map service hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The map also displayed Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as South Tibet, and Aksai Chin occupied by it in the 1962 war. India and China have so far held 19 rounds of talks to resolve the territorial dispute.
According to the Global Times, the South Tibet region lies along China’s southwestern border and India’s north-eastern border. The map also incorporated China’s claims over Taiwan and the nine-dash line claiming a large part of the South China Sea.
China claims Taiwan as part of its mainland and its integration with the mainland is part of a vowed objective of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have counterclaims over the South China Sea areas.
The release of the controversial map follows closely on the heels of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi at the BRICS Summit in South Africa.
This latest move by China has raised concerns about escalating tensions between India and China ahead of the G20 Summit. Earlier, in April China announced its own names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh ahead of Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
However, It is yet to be seen how India’s prime minister will respond to China’s claims and how it will play out on the global stage at the upcoming summit.
