China fumes and objects as India’s Home Minister visits Arunachal

India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu during the Arunachal’s 34th Statehood Day celebrations, in Itanagar on Thursday. Image: PTI

DHARAMSALA, 20 Feb: China has strongly objected to India’s Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, in the extreme northeast of India.

China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of south Tibet, has objected to Home Minister Amit Shah”s visit there to attend the statehood day on Thursday, reports the PTI.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang described Shah’s Arunachal Pradesh visit to attend the 34th Statehood Day function and to launch a number of projects related to industry and roads as a violation of China’s “territorial sovereignty” that “sabotaged political mutual trust” between the two countries.

“The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called ”Arunachal Pradesh” and is firmly opposed to the Indian politician’s visit to the southern part of China”s Tibet region as it violated China”s territorial sovereignty, undermined stability of the border area, sabotaged political mutual trust, and violated relevant bilateral agreement,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

Describing Beijing’s “position on the eastern sector of the China-India boundary, or the southern part of China’s Tibet region, is consistent and clear,” he has further called on India to Indian to “stop taking any action that may further complicate the border issue while calling for concrete actions to uphold peace and tranquillity of the border area.” 

Meanwhile, New Delhi has responded by asserting that India’s position on Arunachal Pradesh was “clear and consistent”.

“Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India. Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India,” India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson has said on Thursday.

The border dispute between the two Asian giant covers 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). The sides have so far held 22 rounds of Special Representatives talks to resolve the border dispute.

Earlier in 2017 when China objected and warned of serious repercussions over the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to the state, Arunachal’s Chief Minister Pema Khandu responded by saying that it is Tibet that shares boundary with India and not China.

On 20th Feb 1987, Arunachal Pradesh became full state from union territory.

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