Beijing: China on Monday reaffirmed its territorial claims over the Shaksgam Valley in the backdrop of India's objections, stressing that the Chinese infrastructure projects in the area are "beyond reproach". "The territory you mentioned belongs to China. It's fully justified for China to conduct infrastructure construction on its own territory," Mao said when asked about border issues and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

What India said on CPEC Projects near Shaksgam Valley

India last Friday criticised China's infrastructure development projects in the Shaksgam Valley, saying it reserves the right to take necessary measures to safeguard its interests as it is an Indian territory.

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Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq km of Indian territory in the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963 from areas illegally occupied by it. "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," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

“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 said.

Shaksgam Valley is integral part of India: MEA

Jaiswal said that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. "This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese authorities several times," he added.

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"It's fully justified": China

Reacting to Jaiswal's comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here that “the territory you mentioned belongs to China”. "It's fully justified for China to conduct infrastructure construction on its own territory. China and Pakistan in the 1960s signed a boundary agreement and delimited the boundary between the two countries, which is the right of China and Pakistan as sovereign countries,” she said.

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On India's criticism of the CPEC, Mao repeated Beijing's narrative that it is an economic cooperation initiative, aimed at promoting local socioeconomic development and improving people's livelihood. "The China-Pakistan boundary agreement and CPEC do not affect China's position on the Kashmir issue and the position remains unchanged," she said.

Why is the Shaksgam Valley crucial for India, Pakistan and China

The 1963 agreement ceding the territory of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) was crucial for Pakistan and China as it provided a common boundary for them, which otherwise would have had no borders.

The agreement also has a clause that stipulates that after the settlement of the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India, the sovereign authority will reopen negotiations with the government of China to sign a formal boundary treaty.

History of Shaksgam Valley  

Location and status: The Shaksgam Valley is a high-altitude, remote region north of the Karakoram range, part of the Hunza-Gilgit area in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The area remained part of India's Jammu and Kashmir. Currently, it is administered by China (after cession by Pakistan).

Geographical borders: It borders Xinjiang Province of China to the north, northern areas of PoK to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east.

History of cession: In 1963, Pakistan ceded the valley (approx. 5,180–5,200 sq. km) to China via the Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement to settle their border disputes.

Stipulations of the agreement: Article 6 makes the deal conditional: after any final resolution of the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, the sovereign authority involved will reopen negotiations with China to sign a formal boundary treaty replacing the 1963 agreement.

Development of Karakoram Highway: The 1963 agreement paved the way for the joint construction of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in the 1970s, a key strategic route linking Pakistan and China through the Khunjerab Pass, symbolising their close cooperation.

(Note: India has never recognized the 1963 agreement or the cession, viewing it as invalid and unlawful.)

(With inputs from agency)