China says it does not recognise ‘illegal’ UT Ladakh

TIL Desk/World/Beijing/ China on Tuesday voiced its opposition to India undertaking infrastructure development for military purposes in the border areas of Ladakh, and maintained that both countries should avoid any activities that might complicate the situation upsetting the consensus reached between them to ease the situation.

“China has not recognised Ladakh Union Territory illegally set up by the Indian side,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press briefing in Beijing while replying to a question by a western media journalist that India was prioritising construction of high altitude road network on its border with China in the Ladakh region.

It may be recalled that when China first expressed its opposition to India’s move to create a separate Union Territory of Ladakh, a day after the state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two union territories on August 5, 2019, the then external affairs ministry spokesperson had said India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise.