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Beijing has reiterated that it does not recognize Ladakh, the region at the center of the China-India border dispute that New Delhi designated as a union territory last year.
The statement came after Indian media reported this week that India recently completed the construction of eight bridges in the mountainous region.
“China does not recognize the so-called union territory of Ladakh, illegally established by India,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday, adding that Beijing “opposes the development of infrastructure construction in the border area disputed for the purpose of military control. ” ”.
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Another Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, made a nearly identical statement on September 29.
Beijing has been openly opposed to the creation of Ladakh since October 31 last year when India divided its northernmost regions into the two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, which borders Pakistan, and Ladakh, which borders China.
But it was not until last month that he had formally declared that he did not recognize the region.
Zhao’s comments and the large troop presence in the disputed region suggest that Beijing and Delhi are still far from a diplomatic solution to their months-long clash.
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“In terms of international law, failing to recognize Ladakh clarifies the fact that China questions the sovereignty of India’s actions in the territory, while China in the past had said that it simply opposed India’s actions,” Wang said. Jiangyu, a professor at the City University of Hong. Kong Law School.
“On controversial issues such as border disputes, foreign countries must raise objections to establish a state practice. When Ladakh was formed, China, of course, was able to oppose the action, but by using the term ‘not recognizing’ it shows that China specifically opposes the institutionalization of India’s claims. “
Atul Alexander, assistant professor of law at the West Bengal National University of Legal Sciences in India, said Beijing’s recent change of tone reflected a lack of commitment on both sides to an “agreement not to change the status quo and to resolve their problems through dialogue ”.
“There can only be progress if there is the will to return to the discussions,” he said.
China and India have held multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks since the outbreak of violent clashes along their disputed border in May, but with little to show for them.
Tens of thousands of troops from both sides appear to be preparing for the coming winter, supported by planes, tanks and heavy artillery.
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Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, said Beijing’s repeated announcement that it does not recognize Ladakh will have little effect in India, except perhaps to stoke anti-China sentiment in the country.
China took decades to recognize India’s claims in Sikkim, which borders China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, he said.
“India will not respond to China’s suggestions on which territories it owns in the border regions, and will be even less open to Beijing’s claims in other disputed areas such as the South China Sea,” he said.
This article China-India relations: Beijing emphasizes that it does not recognize that Ladakh first appeared in the South China Morning Post
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