China Rejects India’s Claim Over Shaksgam Valley, Calls It Chinese Territory

Last Updated:January 13, 2026, 14:21 IST

Shaksgam Valley borders China's Xinjiang Province to the north, Northern Areas of Pakistan-occupied J&K to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east.

News18

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning rejected India’s claim to the Shaksgam Valley in Jammu and Kashmir. Mao said, ‘The territory you mentioned belongs to China. It’s completely justified for China to build infrastructure on its own land.’

When asked about border issues and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Mao explained that China and Pakistan signed a boundary agreement in the 1960s, which set the borders between the two countries, and that this was a right of two independent nations.

According to the Global Times, Mao also said the CPEC is an economic project meant to help local development and improve people’s lives. Mao stressed that the border agreement and the CPEC do not change China’s position on the Kashmir issue, and that China’s stance has not changed.

The Shaksgam Valley borders China’s Xinjiang Province to the north, the Northern Areas of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to the south and west, and the Siachen Glacier region to the east. Earlier, on January 9, India strongly rejected China’s infrastructure projects in the Shaksgam Valley through the CPEC, calling them ‘illegal and invalid,’ and said the region is an ‘integral and inalienable part’ of India. During a press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has never recognized the ‘so-called’ China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963 or the ‘so-called’ CPEC.

Jaiswal said, ‘Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognized the so-called China-Pakistan boundary agreement of 1963. We have always said the agreement is illegal and invalid. We do not recognize the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor either, which passes through Indian territory that is under illegal occupation by Pakistan.’

He reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India, and said New Delhi has ‘consistently protested’ to China about this issue and reserves the right to protect its interests.

Jaiswal added, ‘The entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly told to Chinese and Pakistani authorities many times. We have consistently protested to China for its attempts to change the situation in the Shaksgam Valley. We also reserve the right to take necessary steps to protect our interests.’

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by News18 staff and is generated from a syndicated feed.)

News world China Rejects India’s Claim Over Shaksgam Valley, Calls It Chinese Territory

Read More