China on Tuesday officially launched its state-run mapping website, which rivals Google Earth, showing Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin in Jammu and Kashmir — two key areas of dispute with India — as part of its territory.
The map called “Map World” displayed on the Internet in the Chinese language is already being used in the iPhone and other mobile and Internet user applications in China. It shows Arunachal Pradesh that China has always claimed as “southern Tibet” as part of its territory. The map makes no specific mention of southern Tibet but its shows China’s borders covered up to Arunachal Pradesh.
Also, the Aksai Chin area, which India asserts as part of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir has been included by the map as part of China’s Xinjiang province. Both areas are part of the border dispute being negotiated between the two countries, which so far have held 14 rounds of talks.
The map, however, displays the Line of Control in the Kashmir region, acknowledging both sides of areas respectively under the control of India and Pakistan. The unresolved border issue has been a simmering issue in Sino-India relations for a long time.
The Arunachal issue was in the news after two residents of the state were iss-ued stapled visas by China, a development which was said to be an indication of a change in Beijing’s policy. China had earlier refused to offer visas to the state’s residents. —PTI