Overview
- The USTR post, shared on February 7 with an interim India–U.S. trade framework announcement, was later taken down without a public explanation from the USTR or the State Department.
- Pakistani officials said they lodged a diplomatic protest and that the removal followed, asserting the depiction conflicted with Washington’s longstanding neutral cartographic approach.
- Multiple outlets reported the map included Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir and China‑administered Aksai Chin within India’s outline, with no dispute markings used in prior U.S. materials.
- Pakistani diplomatic sources suggested the image may have been sourced from Google Maps, though U.S. agencies have not addressed the map’s origin.
- Reporting on the trade framework noted U.S. tariffs on Indian goods were reduced to 18 percent and an extra 25 percent duty was withdrawn, placing the mapping flap against the backdrop of easing trade frictions.