China is building a bridge in the illegally occupied area on Pangong Lake

China is building a bridge in the illegally occupied area on Pangong Lake, we never accepted this occupation: Government in Parliament

credit: third party image reference

China is building a bridge across Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh. The bridge is being constructed in an area which has been under illegal Chinese occupation since 1962. The government gave information in this regard in Parliament on Friday.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said, "The government has taken note of a bridge being built by China on Pangong Lake. This bridge is being constructed in areas which are under Chinese illegal occupation since 1962." He said that India has never accepted this illegal occupation. "The government has clarified on several occasions that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India and we expect the neighboring countries to respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

credit: third party image reference

Muraleedharan said that India and China have continued talks on the eastern Ladakh border line through both diplomatic and military channels. The last round of talks between senior commanders of India and China took place on January 12 and they agreed that both sides should follow the guidance given by their leaders.

India boycotted Beijing Winter Olympics a day ago

Muraleedharan said in the Lok Sabha that India's stand in talks with China on the eastern Ladakh standoff is on three key principles. He said the first principle is that both sides should strictly respect and follow the Line of Actual Control. The second principle is that neither party should attempt to unilaterally change the status quo, and the third principle is that all agreements between the two parties should be fully complied with. Let us tell you that a day before this statement of the Central Government, India has boycotted the opening and closing ceremonies of Beijing Winter Olympics.

credit: third party image reference

Satellite images of the bridge being built in the Khurnak area surfaced last month, following which military experts said that China's aim is to call the PLA in the area as soon as possible. China is focusing on strengthening its military infrastructure after Indian troops captured several peaks on the southern bank of Pangong Lake in August 2020.

The minister said that the government pays special attention to the improvement of infrastructure for the development of border areas to facilitate the economic development of these regions, to meet the strategic and security needs of India. He said that the government constantly monitors all developments affecting India's security and takes all necessary steps to ensure that our security interests are fully protected.