India has firmly rejected China’s latest assertions on territorial sovereignty, stating that Beijing — not New Delhi — has violated India’s territorial integrity through its continued illegal occupation of parts of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh since 1963. The response came from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after Chinese officials raised objections to India’s activities in the region.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India respects China’s sovereignty and has never violated it, but stressed that sovereignty concerns should actually be raised by India, given China’s presence in territories that legally belong to India. He cited External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s remarks, noting India has been “consistent” in its position.
Jaiswal added that even China has, in the past, officially acknowledged India’s rights over these territories, making Beijing’s current claims contradictory. India also objected to Chinese infrastructure and connectivity projects in areas of Jammu & Kashmir that New Delhi considers its own. “There are Chinese projects on territories in Jammu and Kashmir that belong to India, and we object to that,” he said.
The remarks came a day after Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Both sides reviewed bilateral ties and discussed regional and global issues, but India reiterated that border peace and respect for sovereignty remain essential for normal relations.