New Bilateral Issue: Govt Lodges Protest With China Over 2 New Counties That Include Parts Of India

New Delhi: Just over two months after India and China completed military disengagement across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a fresh issue has cropped up between the two nations.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that India has lodged a “solemn protest” with China over the announcement of two new counties in China’s Hotan Prefecture, which are parts of Ladakh.

“We have seen the announcement pertaining to the establishment of two new counties in Hotan Prefecture of China. Parts of jurisdiction of these so-called counties fall in India’s Union Territory of Ladakh,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a media briefing on Friday.

“Creation of new counties will neither have a bearing on India’s long-standing and consistent position regarding our sovereignty over the area nor lend legitimacy to China’s illegal and forcible occupation of the same. We have lodged a solemn protest with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels,” he stated.

Jaiswal informed that India was aware of the construction of a hydropower project by China on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet.

“As a lower riparian state with established user rights to the waters of the river, we have consistently expressed, through expert-level as well as diplomatic channels, our views and concerns to the Chinese side over mega projects on rivers in their territory,” Jaiswal spelt out.

“These have been reiterated, along with need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries, following the latest report,” he said, adding that the Chinese side has been urged to ensure interests of downstream states of Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas.

China has staked claims to Indian territories earlier also.

China released the initial list of ‘standardised’ names for six locations in Arunachal Pradesh in 2017. Four years later, a second list comprising 15 places was released, and an additional 11 places brought out in 2023.