‘Absurd, baseless’: India slams China over its claims on Arunachal Pradesh

‘Absurd, baseless’: India slams China over its claims on Arunachal Pradesh

The External Affairs Ministry on Tuesday termed China’s recent claims on Arunachal Pradesh as “absurd”, saying that the state “is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India”.

The comments by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal came two days after the Chinese military said that Arunachal Pradesh was an “inherent part of China’s territory”.

“We have noted the comments made by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity. Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programmes and infrastructure projects,” the MEA spokesperson said in a statement.

Jaiswal added that the Chinese side has been made aware of this “consistent position” on several occasions.

The PLA’s claims on Sunday had come after India rejected Beijing’s objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on March 9.

China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, routinely objects to Indian leaders’ visits to the state to highlight its claims. Beijing has also named the area as Zangnan.

India has repeatedly rejected China’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of the country. New Delhi has also dismissed Beijing’s move to assign “invented” names to the area, saying it did not alter the reality.

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