India issued a robust response to China's criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, emphasizing that the northeastern state will always remain "an integral and inalienable part of India."
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) released a statement asserting that China's objections to Indian leaders' visits or developmental projects in the region "does not stand to reason."
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "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."
"Further, it will not change the reality that the State of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Chinese side has been made aware of this consistent position on several occasions,” he emphasized.
During the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on March 11, he expressed China's strong opposition to Prime Minister Modi's visit to what they referred to as the "East Section of the China-India boundary" and raised concerns with India.
On March 9, PM Modi inaugurated the strategic Sela Tunnel via virtual means during an event in Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. Constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at an altitude of 13,000 feet, the tunnel is situated on the road connecting Tezpur, Assam, to Tawang in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
China, laying claim to Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, consistently objects to visits by Indian leaders to the state, reiterating its claims. Beijing has also designated the area as Zangnan.
