G20 2023: Congress MLA writes to PM Modi, requests him to raise ‘new map’ issue in the Summit

Following the release of a standard map that has incorporated Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh as Chinese territory, Congress MLA Ninong Ering has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to address the matter of the Peoples Republic of China’s assertiveness during the upcoming G20 Summit scheduled in Delhi on September 9 to September 10, 2023.

The Congress MLA Ninong Ering, who represents the Pasighat West Seat, a constituency bordering the Chinese-controlled Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in the Arunachal Pradesh legislative assembly, said that the recent release of the PRC standard map is a culmination of their nefarious plans and a matter of great importance as Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and has scarred memories of the 1962 Sino Indian War.

In his letter to the Prime Minister on August 29, 2023, the MLA said that the deliberate action taken by the People’s Republic of China has invoked deep resentment and anger among the people and inhabitants of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Letter

“This unforeseen, unfortunate, yet deliberate incident on the part of the People’s Republic of China has invoked deep resentment among the people of Arunachal Pradesh. It is common knowledge that the PRC has earlier tried to assert its claim over Arunachal Pradesh by renaming eleven locations in April 2023, fifteen locations in 2021 and six places in 2017,” Ering said.

In his letter, he also mentioned the Galwan Valley Clash between the troops of India and China. “As you know, India is engaged in combat with an aggressive People’s Republic of China along the Tibetan Border in the Himalayas, and the 20 Indian Army personnel gave their lives while defending India’s frontiers against the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) in the Galwan Valley in 2020.

“Prior to this, you have emphasised that no one can seize an inch of India’s land. Referring to the India-China Standoff in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh in December 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier stated that the government is committed to ensuring that not a single inch of land or India’s soil is compromised,” the Congress MLA wrote.

Asserting that he has full faith in the wisdom and the might of the Indian Armed Forces, such as that of the Indian Army, in defending the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the LoC (Line of Control), the Congress leader said that this release of the map was an attack on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Being an elected representative of the northeastern frontier state, Arunachal Pradesh’s Pasighat-West Seat, I appeal to you to discuss and raise the matter of China unilaterally making changes in the maps with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10, 2023,” he said.

“I would like to emphasize that this matter should be highlighted and condemned globally by relevant state-run media in order to appraise the world of the actions of the Chinese aggression. This is extremely important since any more silence on this issue will be considered and even advertised by the PRC as a tacit approval of the Indian side on Chinese claims,” he added.

Background

On August 28, 2023, China released the 2023 edition of its standard map showing Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as South Tibet and Aksai Chin, occupied by it in the 1962 War with China as a part of its territory. Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea are also included into Chinese territory in the new map.

India on August 29, 2023, lodged a strong protest against China rejecting the claims made by Beijing and said that they have no basis to claim Indian territory. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that such steps from the Chinese side would only complicate the issue and resolution of the boundary question.

In response to the media queries, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, said. “We have lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so-called standard map of China that lays claim to the Indian territory.”

“We reject the claims because they have no basis. He added that such steps taken by the Chinese side only complicate the boundary question.”

China’s Response

On August 30, 2023, China said that the standard map that India has objected to is the “country’s normal exercise of sovereignty.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said, “ The release of the 2023 edition of the standard map of China is the country’s normal exercise of sovereignty in accordance with the law.”  In the end, it further said: “It is hoped that the relevant parties will treat it objectively and not over-interpret it.”