Pakistan and China formalize border pact amid Indian opposition

Pakistan and China have formalized a new border agreement through the Pakistan-China Joint Border Commission. The pact aims to enhance cooperation in border management, trade, and connectivity in a remote mountainous region of the Himalayas.

India has strongly rejected the move, stating the agreement lacks legal basis. New Delhi maintains that the territory involved is part of India and does not recognize any border between Pakistan and China in the disputed area. The tension arises as India and China attempt to stabilize their own relations following years of military friction along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The agreement involves areas such as the Shaksgam Valley, a region approximately 5,180 square kilometers that Pakistan ceded to China in 1963. India claims this territory was part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir and was illegally occupied by Pakistan before being transferred to China.