Roving Periscope: China protests to US support for India on Arunachal
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: After the US “recognized” Arunachal Pradesh as part of India, China on Thursday “strongly deplored” the move and said that Washington has “nothing to do” with the India-China border dispute.
Beijing’s reaction came hours after the US said that Washington recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and “strongly opposes” unilateral territorial claims across the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Replying to a question posed by the official Chinese media at a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, “China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this.”
On Wednesday, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel, while addressing a daily press briefing, said the US recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory.
“The United States recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions or encroachments, military or civilian, across the Line of Actual Control,” Patel had said.
“The delimitation of the China-India boundary has not been completed,” Lin was quoted as saying, adding, “Zangnan’ (the official Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) has always been China’s territory. This is an undeniable basic fact.”
“The question of the China-India border issue is between China and India and it has nothing to do with the US,” he said.
Lin said that it is widely acknowledged that the US has consistently fueled and exploited disputes in other nations to advance its self-serving geopolitical agenda.
The US official’s comments came days after the Chinese military reaffirmed its territorial claim over Arunachal Pradesh after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the northeastern region.
Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang on March 15 declared that the southern portion of Xizang (Tibet) is an integral part of China’s territory, vehemently rejecting and opposing India’s establishment of the “so-called” Arunachal Pradesh.
China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, routinely objects to Indian leaders’ visits to the state to highlight its claims.
On March 9, PM Modi inaugurated the Sela Tunnel which was constructed at an elevation of 13,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh. This tunnel aims to facilitate all-weather connectivity to strategically significant Tawang, enhancing troop movement along the frontier region.
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.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday said it has noted the latest comments made by the spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of Arunachal Pradesh and asserted that the state was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.
