India rejected China’s condemnation of Union home minister Amit Shah’s Arunachal Pradesh visit stating that it did not stand to reason and was not going to change the reality that the northeastern state was and always will remain an integral part of India.
Reacting to Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh on Monday, Beijing had said that it was a violation of China’s territorial integrity and was not conducive to peace and tranquility in the border areas.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reacted to China’s statement on Amit Shah’s visit saying, “We completely reject the comments made by the Chinese official spokesperson. Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India.”
“Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Objecting to such visits does not stand to reason and will not change the above reality,” he added.
In a similar response last week, India had asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is and will remain an integral part of India in response to Beijing issuing Chinese names for 11 places in the state apparently after a G20 meeting in the northeastern state that India held even after objections by Beijing.
Moreover, India last week also announced the dates for a G20 meeting in Srinagar, undeterred by objections from both Pakistan and China. The recent tensions over Arunachal Pradesh come before important visits including China’s defence and foreign ministers from Beijing for SCO meetings.
In addition, Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to visit India for the SCO summit in early July.
Amit Shah on Monday, while on his visit to Arunachal Pradesh had in a message to China from the border village of Kibithoo said, “No one can dare cast an evil eye on India’s territorial integrity and encroach even an inch of our land.” He said that the era was over when anyone could encroach the borderlands of India.
