India did not accept China’s illegal occupation: Center

“China has started construction activities over the past several years in border areas as well as areas it has illegally occupied for decades,” the foreign ministry said.

India has neither accepted such illegal occupation of our territory nor accepted China’s unjustified claims.

Further, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India constantly monitors all developments affecting its security and takes all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He also said that India has also stepped up infrastructure development, including the construction of roads and bridges, in areas bordering China.

Bagchi said India has taken note of the US Defense Department’s report to the US Congress which referred to construction activities by the Chinese side along the India-China border areas.

The Pentagon said in a report earlier this month that China has built a large 100-household civilian village inside the disputed area between the Chinese Tibet Autonomous Region and India’s Arunachal Pradesh state in the eastern region of the LAC.

“These and other infrastructure development efforts with India-China have been a source of hindrance to the Indian government and the media,” it said.

According to the report, at the height of the border standoff between China and India in 2020, the Chinese military installed a fiber optic network in remote areas of the western Himalayas to provide faster communications and enhance security from foreign interception.

PLA field commanders consider near-real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and situational data, as well as redundant and reliable communications to streamline decision-making processes and shorten response times, said.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff between Indian and Chinese armies erupted on May 5 last year after a violent skirmish in the Pangong Lake areas and both sides gradually increased their deployment with thousands of troops as well as heavy weapons.

Tension had escalated after a deadly clash in Galwan Valley on June 15 last year.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the demilitarization process on the northern and southern shores of Pangong Lake in February and the Gogra region in August.

On October 10, the last round of military talks ended in a standoff after which both sides blamed each other for the standoff.