India has raised concerns with China through diplomatic channels regarding the establishment of two new counties by China in regions that fall within India's Union Territory of Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed today.
On December 27, Chinese state media Xinhua reported that the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China had announced the creation of He'an County and Hekang County, which will be managed by Hotan Prefecture. These new administrative divisions were approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council.
Responding to the development, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that parts of these newly created counties are situated within Indian territory in Ladakh, which India has consistently maintained sovereignty over. "India has never accepted the illegal Chinese occupation of Indian territory in this area," Jaiswal stated.
He further emphasized that the formation of these counties would not alter India's stance on its sovereignty or legitimize China's illegal occupation of the region. India has formally protested to China through diplomatic channels in this regard.
The two counties, He'an and Hekang, have their county seats in Hongliu Township and Xeyidula Township, respectively, as reported by Chinese state media.
In another matter, the MEA also expressed concerns over China's ongoing construction of a hydropower project on the Brahmaputra River, known as the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet.
In response to a December 25 Xinhua report on the project, Jaiswal reaffirmed India's position as a lower riparian state with established rights to the river's waters. India has consistently raised concerns about the potential impact of large-scale projects on shared rivers through diplomatic and expert channels.
India has called for greater transparency from China and for consultation with downstream countries, highlighting the need to ensure that the interests of nations like India, which rely on the river, are not negatively affected by upstream activities. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and take necessary measures to protect our interests," Jaiswal concluded.