China reiterates claim on Arunachal Pradesh region

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Beijing on Friday reiterated its claim over the Indian eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, known as Zangnan in China, state media reported.

“The area of Zangnan is Chinese territory and the Chinese government has never recognized the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’,” Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said in Beijing.

He said China “strongly opposes the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally established by India.”

Beijing’s statement comes after China and India engaged in a war of words over the territory controlled by New Delhi early this week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the region last week.

India has rejected China’s stand after the country’s Foreign Ministry also made similar claims on Monday.

“State of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman for the Indian Foreign Ministry, responded to Beijing on Tuesday.

However, Zhang said India should “stop taking any actions that complicate the border issues and effectively maintain peace and stability in the border areas.”

Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh last week to open Sela Tunnel allowing all-weather connectivity between border states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The tunnel will “boost the preparedness of the armed forces” while “augmenting the socio-economic development of the border region,” according to the Indian government.

Beijing says the China-India boundary “question has yet to be solved.”

Besides counterclaims in Arunachal Pradesh, China and India are engaged in a border dispute in the Ladakh area of disputed Jammu and Kashmir.