Why the harsh words between China and India over a remote, inhospitable valley?

Not far from the fringe of the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, in a remote valley to the north of the Karakoram mountain range, China’s road building programme has encountered another tough diplomatic posture from New Delhi. In January, India’s external affairs ministry said the stretch was “Indian territory” and that it had “consistently protested with the Chinese side against attempts to alter the ground reality”. Beijing responded that the area “belongs to China”, adding... AdvertisementChina-India relationsChinaDiplomacyWhy the harsh words between China and India over a remote, inhospitable valley?Verbal sparring has thrown an obscure footnote in border tensions into the limelight and exposed the complexities left behind by historyReading Time:6 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPOrange WangPublished: 12:00pm, 17 Feb 2026Not far from the fringe of the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, in a remote valley to the north of the Karakoram mountain range, China’s road building programme has encountered another tough diplomatic posture from New Delhi.In January, India’s external affairs ministry said the stretch was “Indian territory” and that it had “consistently protested with the Chinese side against attempts to alter the ground reality”.Beijing responded that the area “belongs to China”, adding that it was “fully justified” in conducting infrastructure construction “on its own territory”.AdvertisementThe verbal sparring threw the barren zone – long a mere footnote in the China-India border dispute – into the limelight, once again exposing the complexity of the territorial issues between the Himalayan neighbours.The exchange also showed how the ghosts of colonial empires and their geopolitical rivalries of more than one and a half centuries ago continue to haunt the world’s two most populous nations in an era increasingly characterised by great power competition. Where is the region and why is it contentious?Shaksgam Valley, also referred to as Kelechin Valley, is considered a major segment of the so-called Trans-Karakoram Tract, stretching across nearly 5,000 sq km (1,930 square miles), almost four times the size of New York City.AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x