New Delhi: India has hit back at China after it protested Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh last week, saying objecting to such visits or developmental projects “does not stand to reason”.
This comes as India and China remain engaged in a border standoff since June 2020.
“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,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement Tuesday.
During his day-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh last Saturday, Modi inaugurated the strategically-significant Sela Tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang. This is the world’s longest twin-lane tunnel, which cost Rs 825 crore, and is located near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The tunnel will ease pressure on the existing infrastructure, specifically the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang road, which faces issues from landslides, snow,and heavy rainfall.
In its statement, the MEA further said the Prime Minister’s visit “will not 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,” it added.
A day prior, during a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin had said that Beijing strongly opposed Modi’s visit, and warned that such moves would further harm the border situation.
“The area of Zangnan is Chinese territory. The Chinese government has never recognized 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.
Wang claimed that India had no right to arbitrarily develop the area of Zangnan in China. “India’s relevant moves will only complicate the boundary question and disrupt the situation in the border areas between the two countries. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes the Indian leader’s visit to the East Section of the China-India boundary. We have made solemn representations to India,” he added.
Last August, China released the 2023 edition of its “standard map” which claimed Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as part of its territory. India responded by lodging a strong protest, adding that such steps only complicated the resolution of the boundary question.
In February, India and China held the 21st round of the corps commander-level meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point.
“The discussions built on the previous rounds, seeking complete disengagement in the remaining areas along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh as an essential basis for restoration of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas,” the MEA had said in a statement.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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