India rejects China’s objection over Modi’s Arunachal visit
The Ministry of External Affairs has dismissed China’s diplomatic protest over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh. Responding to media queries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said objecting to visits by Indian leaders to the state does not stand to reason.
Jaiswal stated that Indian leaders routinely visit Arunachal Pradesh as they do other Indian states. He emphasized that Arunachal Pradesh has been and will always remain an integral part of India. The spokesperson informed the Chinese side that it has been apprised of this position on multiple occasions.
Earlier, China criticized the inauguration of the Sela tunnel in Arunachal by PM Modi. The tunnel is expected to boost accessibility for the armed forces along the disputed border.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed India’s actions would complicate the boundary question. Beijing has also opposed Indian leaders’ visits to the eastern sector of the China-India border.
China views Arunachal Pradesh as ‘South Tibet’ and has named the region ‘Zangnan.’ However, India has consistently rejected China’s stance. New Delhi maintains Arunachal Pradesh, an inalienable part of the country.
It has also dismissed Beijing’s assigning of invented names to the area as not impacting its status. Tensions continue due to the long-standing border dispute and competing territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh.
