India Rejects China's Claim on Jaishankar Remarks, Raises Illegal Occupation in J&K and Ladakh

India on Friday strongly rejected China's official account of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, asserting that New Delhi has never violated Beijing's sovereignty and instead accusing China of illegally occupying Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The response came after China's readout of the ministers' meeting in Manila claimed that Jaishankar had assured Beijing that India respects China's sovereignty, including on issues related to Taiwan and Tibet. Government sources, however, dismissed the claim, saying the external affairs minister made no such remarks during the discussions.

Addressing a media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it is India that has genuine sovereignty concerns. He stressed that India has consistently respected China's territorial integrity, while China has remained in illegal occupation of Indian territory since 1963. He also reiterated India's objection to Chinese infrastructure projects in areas of Jammu and Kashmir that belong to India.

India has repeatedly opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), maintaining that the project passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which New Delhi considers an integral part of India. It has also objected to Chinese activities in the occupied Shaksgam Valley.

The Jaishankar-Wang meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meetings in the Philippine capital on Wednesday. During the talks, Jaishankar emphasized that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remain the foundation for normalising India-China ties. He also said bilateral relations should be guided by mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.

The external affairs minister additionally raised concerns over market access, trade imbalance and supply chain uncertainties. Although both countries have taken steps in recent months to stabilise ties after the prolonged eastern Ladakh military standoff, Friday's exchange highlighted that border and sovereignty issues remain central challenges in the relationship.