China Releases New 'Standard Map', Includes Arunachal And Aksai Chin As Part Of Its Territory

In a move that is set to escalate tensions with India, China on Thursday (28 August) released its "standard map" for 2023, which shows Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region as part of its territory.

The map shows Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as South Tibet, and Aksai Chin, which was occupied by it in the 1962 India-China war, as part of its territory.

The new map also includes Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea within Chinese territory, news agency ANI reported.

In addition to its claims over Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin, the map also incorporates China's assertion of the nine-dash line, laying claim to a large portion of the South China Sea.

It is important to note that Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei all have their own claims over areas in the South China Sea.

The release of this map by China is likely to exacerbate the existing disputes and heighten regional tensions.

According to China Daily newspaper, the Ministry of Natural Resources of China released the map during the celebration of Surveying and Mapping Publicity Day and the National Mapping Awareness Publicity Week on Monday (28 August) in Deqing county, Zhejiang province.

This comes after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa last week.

In his conversation with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Modi had raised concerns about unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra had said earlier last week.

China's territorial disputes extend beyond its bordering countries.

Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has employed deceptive tactics and manipulation in an attempt to assert control over other sovereign territories.

Beijing's expansionist ambitions have disregarded international norms and sought to gain more territory.

China has claimed parts of Arunachal Pradesh, arguing that these areas were originally part of greater Tibet.

In April of this year, Beijing unilaterally "renamed" 11 Indian locations, including mountain peaks, rivers, and residential areas.

This is not the first time China has used such tactics, as they had previously renamed other Indian locations in 2017 and 2021, sparking political confrontations.

New Delhi has consistently called out China's expansionist plans and reaffirmed that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.

The Ministry of External Affairs has condemned China's attempts to assert dominance over Indian territories and emphasised that these "invented names" will not change the reality on the ground.