India on Friday said it has lodged a 'solemn protest' with China over the creation of two new counties in Hotan prefecture, asserting that such moves will not lend legitimacy to Beijing's "illegal and forcible" occupation in the region.
After de-escalation and restoration of patrolling in Ladakh's Depsang and Demchok regions, the India-China border dispute recently resurfaced with China's creation of two new coun🌟ties near Ladakh and the announcement of building a mega dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet.
India on Friday ꧟said it has lodged a "solemn protest" with China over the creation of two new counties in Hotan prefecture, asserting that such moves will not lend legitimacy to Beijing's "illegal and forcible" occupation in the region.
The latest irritant in ties ca꧃me weeks after India and China ended an over four-and-a-half-year border standoff and announced steps to reduce 𒁏mistrust.
Besides the development of buildi♐ng new counties near Ladakh, India on Friday also firmly asserted that it would continue to monitor China's attempt to build a dam 🌳on the Brahmaputra River. There have been apprehensions that the dam will have adversely impact the ecological balance of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam as the Brahmaputra passes through these two states.
In a strong reaction, External Affairs Ministry spoke🦹sperson Randhir Jaiswal said parts of these so-called counties fall in India's Union Territory of Ladakh and that the Chinese action will have no bearing on New Delhi's consistent position regarding its sovereignty.
China's announcement on establishing the two counties came days after Specia🧜l Representatives of the two nations resumed boundary talks that was stalled for almost five years.
"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 o꧙f Ladakh," Jaiswal said.
"We have never accepted the illegal Chine𝔉se occupation of Indian territory in this area💛," he said.
"Creation of new counties will neither have a bearing on India's long-standing and consistent position regard꧂ing our sover𒊎eignty over the area nor lend legitimacy to China's illegal and forcible occupation of the same," Jaiswal added.
He further said: "We have lodged a solemn protest w💧ith the Chinese side through diplomatic channels."
The l🍌atest irritant in ties came weeks after India and China ended an over four-and-a-half-year border standoff and announced steps to reduce mistrust.
Following an understanding reached on October 21, the two sides completed the d꧃isenga🔥gement of troops at the two remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on the margins of the BRICS Summit in Russia on October 23 and agreed to revive various bilateral dialogue mechanisms, signalling an iꦚntention to normalise the relations.
Nearly four weeks later, the Special Represe🐼ntatives on the border issue -- India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China's foreign minister Wang Yi held talks in Beijing.
It was the first dialogue under t൩he framework of Spe🉐cial Representatives in nearly five years.
Days after China announced its plan to build a mega dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, India o𝐆n Friday said it will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect its interests.
In its first reaction to the proposed dam,🔯 New Delhi urged Beijing to 🅰ensure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas.
"We will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect our inꩵterests," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
There have been apprehens꧂ions that the dam will have adversely impact the ecological balance of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The Brahmaputra passes💮 through these two states.
"As a lower riparian state with eꦛstablished 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 said.
"These have been reiterated⛦, along with need for transparꦓency and consultation with downstream countries, following the latest report," he said.
"The Chinese side has been urged to ensure th💫at the interests of downstream states of the Brah🐓maputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas," he added.
On December 25, China announced its plan to construct the world's largest dam on the🅘 Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to👍 its border with India.
The project is♏ estimated to cost around USD 137 billion. The dam will be located in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region.
According to available details, the dam will be built at a huge gorge in the Hꦚimalayan reaches where the Brahmaputra makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh and then to Banglade🎉sh.
China♛'s announcement on the dam raised concerns in India as well as Bangl🐲adesh.
Last week, Chines♈e Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning played down the apprehensions about the project .
"The project will 🅷not n🍬egatively affect the lower reaches," she said, referring to the concerns in India and Bangladesh.
"China will continue to maintain communication wit✃h countries at the lower reaches through existing channels and step up cooperation on disaster prevention and relief for the benefit of the people by the river," she said.
(With PTI inputs)