China advises India to ‘keep calm’ after showing Arunachal, Aksai Chin as its own in new map

New Delhi: According to a media report, China has asked India to remain calm over the new Chinese map, which India says the neighboring country has claimed on its territories. India protested after Beijing released a map showing Arunachal Pradesh and the disputed Aksai Chin region as Chinese territory, BBC reported. Beijing responded by saying its neighbors should avoid “over-interpreting” the issue, the report said. Meanwhile, media reports said that Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip the G20 summit in Delhi next week.

Reports suggest that Prime Minister Li Quang will attend in his place. Xi had earlier confirmed that he would come to Delhi for the September 9-10 meeting – but China’s foreign ministry did not confirm his presence at a regular press briefing on Thursday. The controversy over the 2023 edition of China’s standard national map comes just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi spoke on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa, BBC reported.

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar termed China’s claim as ‘absurd’. An Indian official later said that the two countries have agreed to “swiftly withdraw troops and intensify efforts to reduce tensions” along the disputed border. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called on relevant parties to be objective and refrain from over-interpreting China’s new 2023 standard national map, after the Indian side lodged a ‘strong protest’ over the demarcation, Global Times reported.

China’s Ministry of Natural Resources on Monday released the 2023 version of the standard national map, sparking discontent in India due to the border dispute. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday that the release of the new standard national map was “a regular practice of asserting China’s sovereignty in accordance with the law”. “We hope that the relevant parties can remain objective and calm and refrain from over-interpreting the issue,” the spokesperson said, as reported by the Global Times.