China distributes millions of controversial maps to troops

Beijing, Jul 18: China is distributing millions of controversial updated maps to its military in the first upgrade in 30 years, reportedly reinforcing its claims over Arunachal Pradesh.

All major army units will receive new, more accurate maps in the near future, PLA Daily reported.

The Lanzhou Military Command, one of seven PLA ground force commands, has updated more than 15 million maps for its troops, it said.

Though the official media here has not published the maps being circulated in its military, it reportedly incorporated China's claims over the disputed borders with India as well as South and East China Seas, which were hotly contested by several of China's neighbours.

Last month, the new map issued by China stirred up strong reactions in India as it incorporated its claims over Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as Southern Tibet.

India dismissed the new map issued by Chinese authorities saying cartographic depiction did not change the reality that Arunachal Pradesh was part of India.

"The fact that Arunachal Pradesh is integral and inalienable part of India has been conveyed to Chinese authority at several occasions including at the very highest level," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said on June 28.

The Chinese maps being issued to the military have been prepared using a geocentric coordinate system, which defines locations according to their latitude, longitude and height.

This approach is widely used by other countries' forces, Wang Xiaoming, director of the Lanzhou Military Command's survey information centre said.

Production of the new maps began last year.

The project took into account the diverse needs of different branches of the armed forces, Wang said.

They also feature data obtained by experts in geomorphology - the scientific study of landforms.

Training sessions are being organised for the troops that received the maps. Wang Huasheng, head of an air defence brigade at the Lanzhou command, said the maps would enable his soldiers to spend less time planning operations and would help to improve strike accuracy.

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In meeting with Zohran Mamdani, Trump repeats claim he stopped India-Pak war

Agencies

November 22,2025

New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has again claimed to have solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, repeating his assertion during a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office.

Mamdani flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday. Trump said he “enjoyed” the meeting, which he described as “great.”

During remarks in the Oval Office, with Mamdani standing next to him, Trump repeated his claim that he solved the May conflict between India and Pakistan.

"I did eight peace deals of countries, including India and Pakistan,” he said.

On Wednesday, Trump had said he threatened to put 350 per cent tariffs on India and Pakistan if they did not end their conflict, repeating his claim that he solved the fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him to say “we're not going to go to war.”

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Mamdani emerged victorious in the closely-watched battle for New York City Mayor, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected to sit at the helm of the largest city in the US.

He had been the front-runner in the NYC Mayoral election for months and defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and was officially endorsed by Trump just hours before the elections.

Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently, in 2018.

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