India blasts China for raising objections to PM Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh
Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar
India on Tuesday (Mar 12) strongly rebuffed a Chinese statement protesting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh last week.
“We reject the comments made by the Chinese side regarding the visit of the Prime Minister to Arunachal Pradesh. Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other States of India. Objecting to such visits or India’s developmental projects does not stand to reason,” said a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
PM Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday (Mar 9), where he inaugurated the strategically significant Sela Tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity to border areas. The Sela tunnel is the world’s longest twin-lane tunnel and is located close to the de-facto border between India and Tibet, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
India added that China’s objection to India’s sovereign control over Arunachal won’t change the reality that “the state of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.” “The Chinese side has been made aware of this consistent position on several occasions,” the statement by the MEA added.
Earlier this week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin had objected to the PM’s visit, while reiterating Beijing’s fictitious claims over the Indian state.
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“The area of Zangnan is Chinese territory,” the spokesman asserted.
“The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India and firmly opposes it. The China-India boundary question has yet to be solved,” Wang told reporters.
China refers to Arunachal Pradesh as “Zangnan” which it views as the southern part of Tibet.
To cater to its domestic audiences, China last year released a fictitious map showing Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh’s Aksai Chin as part of its territory.
India in response has fostered ties with Taiwan over the last few years, while also shying away from reiterating its commitment to the so-called ‘One-China policy’ for over a decade.