Context

Recently, India protested Chinese road construction at Shaksgam Valley in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Chinese Road Construction Advances Near Aghil Pass, Raising Concerns in Siachen Glacier Region

• Recent satellite images showed the Chinese road approaching Aghil Pass, with construction resuming this month towards areas north of Siachen Glacier. 

• In 2018, it was reported that China had built around 70 km of metalled road between September 2017 and February 2018 in the Shaksgam valley, around 5,163 square km.

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About Shaksgam Valley

The Shaksgam valley, a trans-Karakoram tract, is a strategically key region that is part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).It was ceded by Pakistan to China in 1963, a year after the India-China war.

• India’s Stand: It is a part of the territory of India and India never accepted the so-called China Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963 through which Pakistan unlawfully attempted to cede the area to China, and have consistently conveyed her rejection of the same.

Siachen Glacier

• Location: It is a piece of Indian territory wedged between China and Pakistan. It is located in the Eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas, just northeast of Point NJ9842 where the LOC between India and Pakistan ends.
  • It is positioned from northwest to southeast. It originates at the base of the Indira Col West, a col (low point) on the Indira Ridge, at an altitude of 6,115 meters.
  • It lies immediately south of the great drainage divide that separates the Eurasian Plate from the Indian subcontinent in the extensively glaciated portion of the Karakoram sometimes called the “Third Pole”.
  • It is the origin point for the Nubra river.
• Administered by: It has been under the administration of India since 1984 (Operation Meghdoot).
• Significance: 
  • It is the world’s highest battlefield.
  • It is the second-longest glacier in the World’s Non-Polar regions after the Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan.
  • The 2020 standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh has made the control of Siachen even more critical for India. 
• Arising Concern: China has undertaken a massive build-up and deployment along the Line of Actual Control, especially in eastern Ladakh, threatening Indian positions in Depsang and Daulat Beg Oldie.