Amit Shah slams China's claims on Arunachal after Beijing says his visit violates its territorial sovereignty

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a two-day visitto Arunachal Pradesh, said on Monday that no one can question "India's territorial integrity". Earlier, China raised objections to Shah's Arunachal visit saying that the trip violates Beijing's territorial sovereignty.

"The time when just about anyone could encroach upon Indian land has passed. Today, no one can occupy even an inch of our land," Shah said.

"The spirit of Arunachal residents forced China to retreat in 1962," he added.

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Last week, China renamed some places in the state that it considers parts of its territory. However, India regards it as its eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

"Zangnan is China's territory," spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in response to a question on the visit by Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.

"The Indian official's visit to Zangnan violates China's territorial sovereignty, and is not conducive to the peace and tranquility of the border situation."

Amit Shah is visiting Arunachal Pradesh on April 10 and 11 to launch the "Vibrant Villages Programme" in the village of Kibithoo which sits along the India-China border.

After China renamed certain regions of Arunachal Pradesh, India said that doing so won't change the fact that Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable part of the country.

"This is not the first time that China is making such attempts, and we have criticised such attempts. Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable part of India. China giving its own inventive names will not change the ground reality. I would like to re-emphasise that," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said at the time.

Also Read |China renames non-existent ‘piece of land’, rivers in India's Arunachal Pradesh

The move to rename areas in Arunachal Pradesh also didn't go down well with the United States which slammed Beijing for doing so.

"This is another attempt by the Chinese to claim... Indian territory. So the United States, as you know, has recognized that territory for a long time and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance a territory claim by renaming localities. And so, again, this is something that we have long stood by a few things," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Relations between China and India have been strained over the disputed border and clashes in mountainous regions in recent years have seriously strained ties.

(With inputs from agencies)

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