China reinforces its claim on portions of Ladakh in Kashmir

China Wednesday doubled down on its claim over parts of Ladakh in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region, proclaiming it has never “recognized the so-called union territory of Ladakh set up unilaterally and illegally by India.”

On Aug. 5, 2019, New Delhi revoked the special status granted to the region under Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution and downgraded the erstwhile state into two federally-administered Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh.

India’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld these decisions taken by New Delhi and asked the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold elections in Kashmir by September next year.

Responding to the verdict, China’s Foreign Ministry said: “India’s domestic judicial verdict does not change the fact that the western section of the China-India border has always belonged to China.”