China Terms Amit Shah’s Arunachal Visit 'Violation of Territorial Sovereignty'
China has strongly opposed Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, stating that the visit violates China’s territorial sovereignty.
Shah’s visit to the state comes amid rising tensions between China and India, with China announcing on April 2 that it would “standardize” the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released a map that showed regions in Arunachal Pradesh as those inside the southern Tibetan region, which China calls “Zangnan”.
In response to Shah’s visit, spokesperson Wang Wenbin told Reuters that “the Indian official’s visit to Zangnan violates China’s territorial sovereignty, and is not conducive to the peace and tranquillity of the border situation."
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday to embark on his two-day visit to the state.
Shah launched the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ (VVP) in Kibithoo, a village along the India-China border during his two-day visit. He also inaugurated the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) projects to augment infrastructure at Likabali (Arunachal Pradesh), Chapra (Bihar), Nooranad (Kerala), and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), officials said.
The Indian Government has rejected China’s sovereignty over the region; with the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reiterating that Arunachal Pradesh remains an internal part of India. “We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright,” he said.
The White House has also expressed “strong opposition” against China’s move to rename the region. “The United States, as you know, has recognised that territory for a long time and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance a territory claim by renaming localities. And so, again, this is something that we have long stood by a few things,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
