India has formally protested against China’s establishment of two new administrative divisions in the Hotan prefecture of Xinjiang, which include areas within the Indian-administered union territory of Ladakh in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian parliament was told on Friday.
The Indian government conveyed its objections through diplomatic channels, affirming that it does not recognise China’s claims over the region.
Minister of state for external affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to parliament on Friday, reiterated India’s stance, stating: “The government of India has never accepted the illegal Chinese occupation of Indian territory in this area. The creation of new counties will neither have a bearing on India’s long-standing and consistent position regarding its sovereignty over the area nor lend legitimacy to China’s illegal and forcible occupation of the same.”
Beijing’s move, which was first reported by Chinese state media in late December, saw the establishment of He’an County and Hekang County within the Hotan prefecture. This area, also known as Khotan in India, includes sections of Aksai Chin—a region that India considers an integral part of its territory but has been under Chinese control since the 1962 war.
The Indian government was asked in parliament whether it had formulated a strategic response to China’s growing administrative and infrastructural activities in Aksai Chin. Mr Singh said India was “aware” of these developments and closely monitors border infrastructure projects undertaken by Beijing.
“Government gives careful and special attention to the improvement of infrastructure for the development of border areas, in order to facilitate the economic development of these areas, as also to meet India’s strategic and security requirements,” he said, reported the Press Trust of India.
He highlighted that budget allocations for border infrastructure have seen significant increases over the past decade, with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) tripling its expenditure compared to the previous ten years. He added that the expansion of road networks, bridges, and tunnels has improved both civilian connectivity and military logistics in the region.
The announcement of India’s protest comes amid ongoing efforts to stabilise relations between the two nations. Earlier in December, India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing, marking the first high-level talks of their kind in five years. The meeting focused on easing border tensions and resuming cooperation on trade and trans-border river data sharing.
Tensions between India and China have remained high since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash in Ladakh, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops.
Both nations have since deployed thousands of troops and heavy artillery along the Line of Actual Control, engaging in multiple rounds of military and diplomatic negotiations to de-escalate the situation. In October, both sides announced an agreement on patrolling arrangements in eastern Ladakh, aimed at facilitating the disengagement of their forces.
