Srinagar/Leh, 3 January 2025: India lodged a formal protest with China on Friday over Beijing’s creation of new counties, which it says include parts of Aksai Chin, a region in northeastern Ladakh claimed by India.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “We have lodged a solemn protest with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels.”
India has "never accepted" China’s control over the disputed region.
China’s announcement last week to create two new counties—Hean and Hekang—in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has provoked a strong reaction from New Delhi.
The jurisdiction of these new counties allegedly extends into Ladakh
"The creation of these counties will neither alter India’s consistent position on its sovereignty nor legitimize China’s illegal occupation of the region," Jaiswal said in response to the move.
Aksai Chin, which India asserts as part of its territory, has been under Chinese control since the 1950s, a point of tension that led to the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Since then, the area has remained a flashpoint in the bilateral relationship. More recently, tensions in the region have flared at Depsang, located just 40 kilometers west of Aksai Chin.