India Opposes Chinese Infrastructure Activity in Shaksgam Valley

India has firmly opposed recent Chinese infrastructure activity in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Shaksgam Valley, reiterating that the region belongs to India and condemning any attempt to alter facts on the ground.

MEA Reiterates India’s Position
At a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal underlined India’s long-standing stance, stating that Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory.
He reiterated that India has never recognised the 1963 China–Pakistan “Boundary Agreement”, describing it as illegal and invalid.

Rejection of CPEC
The MEA spokesperson also reaffirmed that India does not recognise the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as it passes through territories that New Delhi considers illegally occupied by Pakistan.

Trigger: Reports of Chinese Road Construction
India’s response follows reports that China is constructing a long all-weather road in the Shaksgam Valley, located north of the Siachen Glacier, a region of high strategic importance for Indian forces.

Strategic and Geographic Significance

• Area: Around 5,400 sq km
• Borders:
  • North: China’s Xinjiang province
  • South and West: Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)
• The valley lies close to the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield.

Historical Background

• Shaksgam Valley was ceded by Pakistan to China in 1963 under a border agreement.
• India maintains that this transfer is illegal, as the region is part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.

About the Trans-Karakoram (Shaksgam) Tract
Also known as the Trans-Karakoram Tract, the region lies north of the Karakoram watershed, including the Shaksgam Valley.

• Northern boundary: Kunlun Mountains
• Southern boundary: Karakoram range
• Southeast: Adjacent to the Siachen Glacier