Army Chief downplays China's Aksai Chin move

New Delhi, Apr 16 (ANI): Chief of Army Staff, General V.K. Singh, on Monday downplayed reports that China has dared India again by trying to legitimise its control over Aksai Chin in Ladakh, saying the place is quite far from the Siachin Glacier.

When asked to comment on reports that the Chinese have set up an observatory along with several other countries very close to Siachin, General Singh said: "The news that has appeared in the print media is of Aksai Chin, which is quite far from Siachin Glacier."

According to certain media reports, China is attempting to establish an astronomical observatory in Aksai Chin.

China has reportedly asked Korean and Japanese companies to build what it calls an astronomical observatory in either Aksai Chin or Tibet.

According to reports, the East Asia Core Observatories Association (EACOA) with China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan as its members has identified Aksai Chin for the observatory after surveying several areas in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Pamirs Plateau in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Aksai Chin is one of the disputed border areas between China and India. It is administered by China as part of Hotan County in the Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, but is also claimed by India as a part of the Ladakh district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

In 1962, China and India fought a brief war over Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, but in 1993 and 1996 the two countries signed agreements to respect the Line of Actual Control. (ANI)