China has again enraged New Delhi by incorporating India's integral regions such as Arunachal Pradesh, and Aksai Chin in their latest edition of the map released on Monday. The so-called standard map released on the website and social media platforms of the state news publication, Global Times, included the disputed areas including Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin region, Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea under their territory.
"The 2023 edition of China's standard map was officially released on Monday and launched on the website of the standard map service hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources," read the post. "This map is compiled based on the drawing method of national boundaries of China and various countries in the world," it added.
It is worth mentioning China claims Arunachal Pradesh is a part of the Tibet region.
China announced the ‘renaming’ of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh
Earlier in April this year, the Chinese government said it would “standardise” the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh. At that time, it showed parts of Arunachal inside the southern Tibetan region which the CCP government refers to as Zangnan. Besides, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs included a town close to the Arunachal Pradesh capital of Itanagar.
Notably, India, on several occasions, staunchly asserted that the state of Arunachal Pradesh has "always been" and will "always be" an integral part of the country. The latest claims came nearly ten days before the much-awaited G20 Summit in New Delhi, where the Chinese President was invited among the 42 other state heads.
China also claims Taiwan as its own territory
Moreover, the map also incorporated China's claims over the estranged island of Taiwan and the nine-dash line claiming a large part of the South China Sea.
It is worth mentioning Taiwan split with China in 1949 after a civil war. The ruling Communist Party says the island is obliged to rejoin the mainland, by force if necessary.
Beijing says contact with foreign officials encourages Taiwanese who want formal independence, a step the ruling party says would lead to war.
PM Modi, Jinping held meeting at BRICS Summit
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in South Africa's national capital Johannesburg earlier last week, for the much-anticipated BRICS Summit, held a brief interaction with the Chinese President. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, both leaders held talks on the border dispute.
Notably, both leaders have not sat together ever since a deadly clash erupted in the border regions of India and China in 2020. But, the two Asian giants had held brief conversations twice. When the leaders met during the G20 Summit in Bali last year, they had a brief interaction. Initially, the Ministry of External Affairs denied both leaders discussed any issues and called the meeting a "welcome gesture".
However, earlier last month, the ministry confirmed that PM Modi and the Chinese President had discussed border issues when they met briefly at the Bali Summit.
