- By Aditya Jha
- Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:15 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Shaksgam Valley: The dispute between India and China over Jammu and Kashmir's Shaksgam Valley has severely intensified in the past few days. India has stressed that the Chinese infrastructure projects in the valley are "illegal", adding that it has the right to take necessary steps to safeguard its interest. The infrastructural development is taking place under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which is part of the larger Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) between the two nations.
While India has strongly opposed the Chinese construction, Beijing has cited its 1963 border pact with Pakistan to claim that the infrastructure projects in the valley are "beyond reproach". However, India clarified that the agreement between China and Pakistan was invalid and illegal, adding that the valley belonged to India.
Shaksgam Valley's Strategic Location
The high-altitude Shaksgam Valley is also known as the Trans Karakoram Tract and is part of the Hunza-Gilgit Region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The valley is located near the disputed Siachen/Aksai Chin area. It shares its borders with Xinjiang Province of China to the north. On its south and west, lie the northern areas of PoK and to its east is the Siachen Glacier region.
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What's The Dispute Around Shaksgam Valley
Under the Sino-Pakistan Border Agreement in 1963, Islamabad illegally gave 5,180 sq km of Indian territory in the Shaksgam Valley to China. However, India rejected the deal by calling it unlawful and illegitimate and asserted that any construction in the valley will not be considered legal.
Earlier on Friday, India reiterated that the so-called 'boundary agreement' between China and Pakistan is illegal, adding that New Delhi also does not recognise the construction activities in the region. "Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan 'boundary agreement' signed in 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated.
"We also do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Indian territory that is under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan," he added. He also reiterated that India has every right to take necessary steps to safeguard its interest, adding that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh belong to India.