India: After the PM visited Arunachal Pradesh on March 9, the Chinese Foreign Minister responded by declaring that “Zangnan is Chinese territory” and that the Chinese government “has never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh.”
Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a major infrastructure project in Arunachal Pradesh. China claims that the state is part of its territory, but India denied this claim on Tuesday and stated that such assertions will not alter the fact that the state is a part of India.
This was the latest exchange of words between the two sides over the strategically important northeastern province of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing has long claimed as “Zangnan” or South Tibet.
China has always reacted negatively to key Indian officials’ travels to the region, but New Delhi usually ignores such concerns.
“We condemn China’s comments about the Prime Minister’s travel to Arunachal Pradesh. Indian politicians visit Arunachal Pradesh regularly, just as they do in other Indian states,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry.
It is unreasonable to object to such trips or India’s development projects. Furthermore, it would not alter the fact that the state of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India, he stated.
On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded to Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh on March 9 to inaugurate the Sela Tunnel and other infrastructure projects by saying that “Zangnan is Chinese territory” and that the Chinese government has “never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh”.
Wang, who was replying to a query from China’s state-run media during a regular media briefing, also stated that the “China-India boundary question has yet to be resolved”.
He argued that India has “no right to arbitrarily develop” Arunachal Pradesh and that such actions will “complicate the boundary question and disrupt the situation in the border areas.”
Wang also stated that China “strongly deplores and firmly opposes” the Indian prime minister’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh and has made “solemn representations to India” in this regard.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) tunnel, built at a cost of ₹825 crore, was launched remotely by Modi from Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. The world’s longest twin-lane tunnel, at over 13,000 feet, will provide all-weather communication and enable faster deployment of troops and equipment to forward regions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector.
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The tunnel is one of several initiatives undertaken by the government to improve infrastructure along the LAC amid a protracted military stalemate with China in the Ladakh area, which began in May 2020. Both sides have deployed almost 50,000 troops in the Ladakh sector, and India has stated unequivocally that bilateral relations cannot be normalized until there is peace and calm along the boundary.