'No legal basis, completely unacceptable': India rejects 'so-called' Pakistan-China boundary joint commission

India on Wednesday rejected the so-called Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, asserting that there is no recognised boundary between Pakistan and China. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India’s position on the matter remains “clear and consistent” and described the commission as having no legal basis.

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“We have seen reports in this regard. Our position on this matter is clear and consistent. There is no boundary between Pakistan and China. We reject the so-called Joint Commission, which is without any legal basis,” the MEA spokesperson said.

The MEA reiterated that India has never recognised the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement' of 1963 and have consistently maintained that it is illegal and invalid.

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'We resolutely oppose and reject any attempts to alter the status of these occupied territories or legitimise illegal occupation, impinging on India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any so-called boundary cooperation between China and Pakistan concerning Indian territories would be completely unacceptable and would have no bearing whatsoever on India's sovereignty over these territories," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

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Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry posted on X about an inaugural meeting between Pakistan and China over the operationalisation of the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission.

“In a significant milestone for Pakistan-China relations, the two sides today operationalised the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, setting the stage for enhanced cooperation in border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people-to-people connectivity,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in the post.

India has maintained that there is no Pakistan and China border and that the ‘entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India’.

“Pakistan has no locus standi to enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under its illegal and forcible occupation”, the MEA statement said.