Tibetan Parliament challenges China’s Ladakh claims,
The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile has criticised China’s refusal to recognise Ladakh as a Union Territory of India, calling Beijing’s territorial claims baseless. It also urged New Delhi to reconsider its Tibet policy amid continuing tensions along the India-China border.The remarks come amid a diplomatic exchange between New Delhi and Beijing over India’s decision to standardise the names of 28 geographical locations and features in Ladakh on official maps, prompting China to reiterate its objections to India’s territorial claims.According to news agency ANI, Dolma Tsering, speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, said China’s attempts to rename geographical locations in Tibet and build villages along border areas were developments India should take seriously in its diplomatic engagement with Beijing.“Beijing’s repeated attempts to rename geographical locations in Tibet and its construction of villages along border areas were concerning developments that India should take seriously while engaging diplomatically with China,” she said.Tsering also cautioned against allowing economic engagement to take precedence over security concerns, saying, “India should not allow trade and business engagements to take precedence over border security, stressing that both issues must be addressed together.”
She argued that China’s territorial claims required historical evidence and maintained that Tibet remained central to the unresolved boundary dispute. “A lasting resolution to the border dispute would be difficult without addressing the Tibet issue,” she said.Tsering further alleged that China’s policies promoting ethnic assimilation and prioritising Mandarin over Tibetan threatened Tibet’s distinct cultural and religious identity.She reiterated that the Tibetan leadership’s Middle Way Approach sought a negotiated settlement that would allow Tibetans to preserve their culture, identity and faith, and urged Beijing to resume dialogue.Tibetan MP Gompo Dhondup also rejected China’s claims over Ladakh and other Himalayan regions, including Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that these territories were integral to India and that Beijing had no right to interfere in India’s sovereignty.Dhondup argued that a free and independent Tibet could serve as a peaceful buffer between India and China along their more than 3,000-kilometre border. He called on New Delhi to reconsider its position on Tibet and repeal its One-China policy, saying stronger support for Tibet would serve both Tibetan aspirations and India’s security interests.
India rejects China’s objections over Ladakh
The latest remarks follow India’s response to Beijing’s objections to the naming exercise.
On Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India’s position that Ladakh was an integral part of the country.“It is reiterated that the UT of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact,” Jaiswal said.
The exchange followed a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) standardising names for 28 locations and geographical features in Ladakh on official Survey of India maps, including Gogra and Hot Spring, sites associated with the 2020 military standoff.Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning opposed the move, saying Beijing had never recognised the territory as Indian. “The move is illegal and invalid and cannot change the fact that the relevant areas in the western sector of the China-India boundary have always belonged to China,” she said.