India's assertion, Pakistan's cession: How China took Shaksgam Valley, Pg21

Key Highlights:

• A Chinese government spokesperson has reaffirmed China's claim to the Shaksgam Valley, referring to the 1963 boundary agreement between China and Pakistan.
• India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) maintains that Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory and that it has never recognized the 1963 China-Pakistan boundary agreement.
• The Shaksgam Valley, also known as the Trans Karakoram Tract, is a region of over 5,000 sq km north of the Siachen Glacier, currently claimed by India but under Chinese control.
• India objects to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as it passes through territory that India claims.

Detailed Insights:

• The 1963 agreement occurred when Pakistan sought closer ties with China despite its Cold War alliance with the US, especially after the 1962 war between China and India.
• In 1950s, China built a highway connecting Tibet with Xinjiang through Aksai Chin, which is also claimed by India.
• In 2022, the Indian government stated that China continues to illegally occupy approximately 38,000 sq km of Indian territory in Ladakh.
• The CPEC, launched in 2015, seeks to connect Gwadar port in Pakistan with Kashgar in China's Xinjiang region, offering China an alternative route to import oil.
• India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru stated in the parliament on March 5, 1963 that the China-Pakistan agreement was timed to undermine talks regarding Kashmir.

Key Concepts Involved:

• CPEC: A major infrastructure project to connect China and Pakistan through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines.
• Shaksgam Valley: A disputed territory claimed by India but controlled by China since the 1963 agreement with Pakistan.
• Aksai Chin: A region administered by China as part of Xinjiang, but claimed by India as part of Ladakh.