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Tharoor echoes Jaishankar on China's map row. Then asks ‘Why don't we start…?’
Shashi Tharoor suggests issuing stapled visas to Chinese passport-holders from Tibet and ending support for 'One-China' policy.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday suggested issuing stapled visas to Chinese passport-holders hailing from Tibet and stop supporting ‘One-China’ policy as a response to Beijing laying claim over Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin in its so-called standard map.
India on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with China over its new map and asserted that such steps only complicate the resolution of the boundary question. External affairs minister S Jaishankar also rejected the claims made in the map as “absurd” and said Beijing had even put out such maps in the past claiming territories that are not theirs and that it is "an old habit" of China.
"It is not something which is new. It started in the 1950s. So just by putting out a map claiming territories some of which are part of India.. I think this doesn't change (anything). These are very much part of India," he said while replying to a question on the 'map' at an event hosted by the NDTV.
"We are very clear what our territories are. This government is very clear about what we need to do to defend our territory. You can see that on our borders. I think there should be no doubt about that," Jaishankar said.
"Just making absurd claims does not make other people's territories yours. Let's be very clear on that," he added.
Reacting to the controversial map, Tharoor said, “So we have protested China's latest outrage, the issuance of yet another map claiming Arunachal Pradesh as their territory.”
"Yes @DrSJaishankar is right, it IS an "old habit" of theirs. It's also their habit to ignore our protests. So are we going to leave it there?" the Congress leader said in a post on X.
“Is there nothing more we can do to show our displeasure? Why don't we start issuing stapled visas to Chinese passport-holders hailing from Tibet? And stop expressing our support for the One China policy?”
