Date: 13th January 2026

Red Lantern Analytica unequivocally condemns China’s latest assertion of territorial claims over the Shaksgam Valley, which is an integral part of India’s Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Such claims are baseless, historically untenable, and legally invalid, and represent a deliberate attempt to legitimise the consequences of Pakistan’s illegal occupation of Indian territory.

The so-called 1963 China–Pakistan boundary agreement, under which Pakistan purported to cede parts of the Shaksgam Valley to China, has never been recognised by India. As the Government of India has consistently maintained, Pakistan had neither the legal authority nor sovereignty to transfer Indian territory under its illegal occupation. Any construction or so-called development activity undertaken by China in this region is therefore illegal and a violation of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

We fully support and reaffirm the principled position articulated by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India, that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. Repeated attempts by China to justify any infrastructure build-up in the occupied areas do not alter ground realities or India’s consistent stance.

Red Lantern Analytica also reiterates that projects such as the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which pass through Indian territory under Pakistan’s illegal occupation, remain unacceptable to India. China’s selective interpretation of history, and disregard for established sovereignty only serves to erode trust and escalate tensions. India’s sovereignty is non-negotiable, and any attempt to question it—whether through cartographic assertions, infrastructure build-up, or diplomatic rhetoric—will be met with equally appropriate response.