After de-escalation and restoration of patrolling in Ladakh's Depsang and Demchok regions, the India-China border dispute recently resu🍒rfaced w🍒ith China's creation of two new counties 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 legi𒊎timacy to Beijing's "illegal and forcible" occupation in the region.
The latest irritant in ties came weeks after India and China ended an over four-and-a-half-𒐪year border standoff and announced steps to reduce mistrust.
Besides the development of building ✤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.
Why Did India Lodge A Protest?
In a strong reaction, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson 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 bear✤ing on New Delhi's consistent position regౠarding its sovereignty.
China's ann💫ouncement on establishing the two counties came days after Special 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 of Ladakh," Jaiswal said.
"We have never accepted the ilꦅlegal Chinese 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 regarding our sov🥀ereignty 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 with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels."
The latest irritant in ties came weeks after India a🌞nd China ended an over four-and-a-half-year border standoff and announced s▨teps to reduce mistrust.
Following an understanding reached on October 21, the two sides c✅ompleted the disengagement of troops at the two re𒉰maining 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 intention to norm♋alise the relations.
Nearly four weeks later, the Special Representativ𝕴es on the border issue -- India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China's forꦆeign minister Wang Yi held talks in Beijing.
It was the first dialogue under the framewoꩵrk of Spec🍃ial Representatives in nearly five years.
India To Monitor China's Attempt To Build Mega Dam On Bramhaputra
Days after China announced its plan to build a mega dam on the Brahmaputra river in Tibet, India on 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 u💧rged Beijing to ensure that the interests of downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream ar🌺eas.
"We wil🧸l continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson R𝕴andhir 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 established user rights to the waters of the river, we have consistently expressed, through expert-lev❀el 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 transℱparency and consultation with downstream countries, following the latest report," he said.
"The Chinese side𒈔 has been urged to ensure that the interests of🐟 downstream states of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in upstream areas," he added.
On December 25, China announc🎐ed its 💦plan to construct the world's largest dam on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to its border with India.
The project is estim🍌ated to cost around USD 137 billion. The dam will be located in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region.
According to availab🔯le details, the dam will be built at a huge ওgorge in the Himalayan reaches where the Brahmaputra makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh and then to Bangladesh.
China's announcement on the dam raised concerns in 💝India as well as Bangladesh.
Last week, Chဣinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning played down the apprehensions a💧bout the project .
"The prꦛoject will not negatively affect the lower reaches," she said, referring to the concerns in India and Bangl♚adesh.
"China will continue to maintain communication with ♑countries at theও 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)
