India on Tuesday lodged a “strong protest” with China over the publication of a new map that was released by the Chinese government on August 28, showing all of Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin, and other parts of Indian territory within its borders, that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called “absurd claims”. 

“We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson in a statement, responding to media queries. The spokesperson said that India has lodged “a strong protest through diplomatic channels” with the Chinese side on the so-called 2023 “standard map” that was released by the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources. According to Chinese state media, the map was released during what is being called “National Mapping Awareness Publicity Week” in China, and would be followed by other digital and navigational maps.