BY PC Bureau
September 16, 2026: New Delhi has strongly objected to a new Pakistan-China mechanism dealing with their boundary, warning that any such arrangement involving territories claimed by India has no bearing on Indian sovereignty. India said Pakistan cannot enter into agreements concerning territories that New Delhi regards as being under its illegal and forcible occupation.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday rejected the newly operationalised Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, saying it has “no legal basis”. The commission held its inaugural meeting in Islamabad, where the two sides discussed cooperation relating to border management, joint surveys, trade and connectivity.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India’s longstanding position that there is no recognised India-Pakistan-China boundary arrangement that can alter India’s claims over Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. New Delhi said the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are “integral and inalienable” parts of India.
Our response to media queries on the so-called Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission ⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/i3x1x8eluC pic.twitter.com/Nt6QfhHqjA
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 16, 2026
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India also reiterated that it has never recognised the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, which it describes as “illegal and invalid”. New Delhi said it would oppose any effort to alter the status of territories it claims as being under Pakistan’s occupation or to legitimise what it calls that occupation.
The MEA said any “boundary cooperation” between Pakistan and China involving Indian territory would be “completely unacceptable” and would not affect India’s sovereignty or territorial claims.
New Delhi also urged Pakistan to vacate territories that India says are under its illegal and forcible occupation, rejecting what it described as Islamabad’s attempt to create new arrangements around disputed territory.
Pakistan, meanwhile, has presented its cooperation with China as part of its broader bilateral relationship. The two countries have continued to expand cooperation under CPEC, including connectivity projects around the Khunjerab Pass and other infrastructure initiatives.
The latest dispute comes against the backdrop of longstanding disagreements over Jammu and Kashmir and China-Pakistan cooperation in areas claimed by India. New Delhi has repeatedly objected to references to Jammu and Kashmir in China-Pakistan statements and to projects in territories it considers under Pakistan’s illegal occupation.
