China lodged a diplomatic protest with India on Monday over PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh last week. Reaffirming its territorial claim, Beijing stated that India's actions would "further complicate" the unresolved boundary issue between the two nations.
Comments from China
Responding to Modi's visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin asserted that “the area of Zangnan is Chinese territory.”
PM Narendra Modi to dedicate the Sela Tunnel project to the Nation tomorrow. The Tunnel constructed on the Road connecting Tezpur to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh has been constructed at an altitude of 13000 feet with a total cost of Rs 825 Crore and will provide all-weather… pic.twitter.com/nZBibEQZxO
— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2024
Wang told media that China “strongly deplores and firmly opposes the Indian leader’s visit to the East Section of the China-India boundary” and has “made solemn representations to India.” He reiterated that China has “never recognised” Arunachal Pradesh, which was “illegally set up by India,” and Beijing “firmly opposes it.”
He added that since the China-India boundary issue “has yet to be solved [...] India has no right to arbitrarily develop the area of Zangnan in China.” The spokesperson warned that such moves by New Delhi “will only complicate the boundary question and disrupt the situation in the border areas between the two countries.”
China rejects India's claims of sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh and call the area Zangnan. In this regard, Beijing consistently raises objections to visits by Indian leaders to the region.
India’s Response
For its own part, New Delhi has consistently dismissed the claim, underscoring that the northeastern state is an integral part of India.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected China’s comments in a press release published on Tuesday. “We reject the comments made by the Chinese side regarding the visit of the Prime Minister to Arunachal Pradesh. Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other States of India. Objecting to such visits or India’s developmental projects does not stand to reason,” the ministry stated.
It added that such comments from Beijing “will not change the reality that the State of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.”
“The Chinese side has been made aware of this consistent position on several occasions.”
Modi's Visit to Arunachal Pradesh
During his tour of the state, Modi visited the Sela Tunnel, which is constructed at an altitude of 13,000 feet and aims to provide all-weather connectivity to the strategically important Tawang region, across Sela Pass on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang Road in Arunachal Pradesh. It is also expected to enhance the movement of troops in the frontier region.
Constructed at a cost of about Rs 825 crore ($1 billion approximately), the tunnel has been touted as “an engineering marvel.” Modi promised defence personnel that he would come to meet them at this engineering marvel in his next term.
He also stated that unlike the earlier approach, he has always regarded the border villages as the 'first villages,' and the Vibrant Village Programme is an acknowledgment of this belief. Road projects for about 125 villages commenced and foundation stones were laid for tourism-related projects in 150 villages.