China yet again is trying to provoke India by releasing its official map by incorporating the disputed areas, including its claims over Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin region, Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea.
The map displayed by the Global Times newspaper showed Arunachal, which China claims as South Tibet, and Aksai Chin occupied by it in the 1962 war. Time and again India has made it very clear that Arunachal has “always been” and will “always be” an integral part of the country. The governments of India along with principal opposition party Congress spoke in one voice and denounced the map.
China’s move comes at a time when border tension between India and China continues to simmer. The talks to defuse tension have not yielded any major result till date. There is a tense situation along the LAC since the army of two countries in eastern Ladakh. The Chinese PLA continues to act belligerently along the LAC. By publishing a highly provocative map by showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of them, China is again trying to create a tense situation. It is time India started working together with countries like Japan, South Korea etc. who are also concerned about China’s aggressive expansionist behavior in the region.
India cannot sit back and allow China to dictate the relationship between two nations as per their whims and fancies. There has to be mutual respect.