NEW DELHI, Mar 11: China as usual has lodged a diplomatic protest with India over the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh where he inaugurated the strategically important Sela tunnel. China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, said India’s move would “only complicate” the boundary issue.
“China never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally set up by India and firmly opposes it,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a media briefing on Monday. Wenbin said India had no right to arbitrarily develop the area of Zangnan in China. China has named Arunachal Pradesh as Zangnan.
“Relevant moves by India only complicate the boundary question. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the leader’s visit to the eastern section of the China-India boundary,” the Chinese official further said.
China has several times in the past objected to visits by Indian politicians to Arunachal Pradesh. However, India has asserted that the state is an integral part of the country and assigning “invented” names won’t alter reality.
On Sunday Mr Modi inaugurated the Sela tunnel, the world’s longest bi-lane tunnel, which will connect Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal. Built at a cost of Rs 825 crore, the tunnel has been built at an altitude of 13,000 feet.
The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang, which shares a boundary with China in the north, and is expected to ensure better movement of troops and arms to forward locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
The tunnel will also reduce more than one hour of travelling time from Tezpur to Tawang.
(Manas Dasgupta)