China doubles down on new map, tells India to keep calm and not to ‘over-interpret’

India lodged a “strong protest” over the new map which showed within China’s borders all of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin, as well as the entire South China Sea

Asked about India’s protest, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the map, put out by the Ministry of Natural Resources, was “routine”. File | Photo Credit: ANI

China on August 30 defended issuing a new “standard map” for 2023 that India has protested, saying it was “a routine practice” and asking New Delhi to “refrain from over-interpreting” it.

India on Tuesday lodged a “strong protest” over the new map that was released on Monday, and showed within China’s borders all of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin, as well as the entire South China Sea.

While these territories were also displayed in previous Chinese maps, the new publication was seen by New Delhi as an unnecessary move that will only further complicate already tense relations, particularly over the border issue.

While China on Wednesday downplayed the move, Beijing for its part had in 2019 strongly objected to India’s map showing the newly created union territory of Ladakh, although New Delhi had underlined to Beijing then that the map had not changed India’s external borders. It still drew a strong protest from Beijing at the time.

Asked about India’s protest, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the map, put out by the Ministry of Natural Resources, was “routine”.

“It is a routine practice for China to exercise sovereignty in accordance with the law,” he said. “We hope the relevant side can stay objective and calm, and refrain from over interpreting.”

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday said the government “is very clear about what is our territory” and “making absurd claims does not make other people’s territories yours.”