‘It Includes Our Territory’: China Slams J&K, Ladakh Bifurcation

In a press briefing, China “voiced strong dissatisfaction” and called the move “unlawful” and “void.”

PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

(Photo: Erum Gour/The Quint)

As two new Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were officially carved from the erstwhile state of J&K, China on Thursday, 31 October, "voiced strong dissatisfaction" and called the move “unlawful” and “void.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang, said in a press briefing that the bifurcation was “not effective in any way,” reported The Indian Express.

In the press conference, Geng reportedly urged India to “earnestly” respect Chinese territorial sovereignty, and “create favourable conditions for proper settlement of boundary question.” He added that China deplores and firmly opposes India’s move.

India Responds to China

Reacting to China’s comments, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that the reorganisation was “entirely an internal affair of India.”

“We expect other countries to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. China continues to be in occupation of a large tract of area in Union Territories of J&K, Ladakh. It has illegally acquired Indian territories from PoK under the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963.”

Raveesh Kumar, MEA Spokesperson

In a tweet, People’s Daily – China's largest newspaper group and official newspaper of its ruling party – had said:

This is the first time a state has been downsized into Union Territories, with the two new entities taking the total number of UTs to nine and bringing down the number of Indian states to to 28.

The move is in accordance with the government's 5 August announcement withdrawing the state's special status under Article 370 and bifurcating it.

Girish Chandra Murmu in Jammu and Kashmir and Radha Krishna Mathur in Ladakh stepped into history as the first lieutenant governors of the new union territories.

Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal administered the oath of office to the new appointees, first in Leh and then later in Srinagar.