| Revision as of 10:09, 21 June 2005 view sourceIdleguy (talk | contribs)9,928 edits the said highway is of little use for India. It is of reasonable importance for China though.← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:50, 1 July 2005 view source Rocastelo (talk | contribs)2,321 editsm glNext edit → | ||
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Revision as of 20:50, 1 July 2005
Aksai Chin (simplified Chinese: 阿克赛钦; traditional Chinese: 阿克賽欽; pinyin: Ākèsàiqīn) is a region located at the junction of the People's Republic of China, Pakistan, and India. It is administered by China and claimed by India. Aksai Chin is one of the two main border disputes between India and China, the other being Arunachal Pradesh. Sometimes called the "White Desert", the region is almost deserted, although it is of considerable strategic importance for China more than it is for India. One of the proximate causes of the Sino-Indian War of 1962 was India's discovery of a road China had built through the region, which India considers its territory. The road, which connects Tibet and Sinkiang, passes through the settlement of Tianshuihai, the only sizeable town in the region, with about 1600 inhabitants.
Aksai Chin is currently under the administration of the People's Republic of China, with the vast majority of it as a part of Hotan County, in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. India claims the area as a part of the disputed territory of Kashmir. The area is strategically important because it contains China National Highway 219, a major road between Tibet and Xinjiang.
Both sides in the dispute have agreed to respect the Line of Actual Control and this dispute is considered very unlikely to result in actual hostilities.