In what is being seen as a significant moment in the Indian Parliament, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, China has illegally occupied of 38,000 square km of Indian land and it considers another 90,000 square km as its own.
This statement made by the Defence Minister was a clear indication towards Aksai Chin which China took away from India in the 1950s.
India in the last week has taken a very tough stand with China as it refuses to deescalate tension while engaging in talks acting as a smokescreen for its blatant aggression.
For a very long time, India had tried the diplomatic route to ease the tension while remaining firm, however, with this statement that China is illegally occupying Indian territory, the ball is now in the court of China with India now showing its intent and resolve,
Speaking in the Parliament, Singh said, “We have told China that such incidents won’t be acceptable to us,” Rajnath said.
“We believe that this alignment is based on well-established geographical principles confirmed by treaties and agreements, as well as historical usage and practice, well-known for centuries to both sides,” the minister said.
Since April, China had noticed buildup its troops and armaments in the border areas adjacent to eastern Ladakh. Even when senior leaders from both countries were holding a discussion at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Russia, the Chinese side again engaged in provocative military manoeuvers on the night of August 29 and August 30 to alter the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake.
However, the Indian army using all its resourcefulness at the LAC prevented such attempts from succeeding for the PLA.
The Defence Minister said, “As is clear from these events, the Chinese actions reflect a disregard of our various bilateral agreements,”. He went on to add that increase in troops level by China goes against the 1993 and 1996 agreements and to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border, China must respect and abide by the explicitly recognised agreements of both 1993 and 1996.