Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “Our position on the matter has been made very clear on Arunachal Pradesh time and again. We have recently also issued statements in this regard. I think a couple of statements.”
Jaiswal stated, “China may repeat its baseless claims as many times as they want. That is not going to change the position. Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.”
China’s Defense Ministry had recently reiterated its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, terming it as “Zangnan–an inherent part of China’s territory.” This claim was promptly rejected by India, which described it as “absurd” and “baseless.”
Terming the Indian State as “Zangan–an inherent part of China’s territory,” the Chinese Defence Ministry said that Beijing “never acknowledges and firmly opposes” the “so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India.”
Following this, India once again rejected the “absurd claims” and “baseless arguments” while asserting that the northeastern state is an “integral and inalienable part of India.”In an official statement, MEA noted that the people of Arunachal Pradesh will “continue to benefit” from India’s development programmes and infrastructure projects.External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, speaking on the matter during an event in Singapore, called China’s claims “ludicrous” and emphasized that Arunachal Pradesh is part of India because it is a part of the country, and not because of any foreign country’s assertion.
“This is not a new issue. I mean China has laid claim, it has expanded its claim. The claims are ludicrous to begin with and remain ludicrous today. So, I think we’ve been very clear, very consistent on this. And I think you know that is something which will be part of the boundary discussions which are taking place,” he had said at the Institute of South Asian Studies of the National University of Singapore.
Lin, replying to a question from the official media seeking his reactions to Jaishankar’s comments, said the border between India and China has never been settled. “The China-India boundary has never been delimited and is divided into the eastern sector, the middle sector, the western sector, and the Sikkim section”, he said.
“In 1987, India formed the so-called “Arunachal Pradesh” on China’s territory under India’s illegal occupation. China issued a statement right then to firmly oppose it and stress that India’s move was illegal and null and void. China’s position remains unchanged,” Lin said. This is the fourth time this month China spoke about its claim over Arunachal.
Despite China’s repeated assertions, India remains firm on its stance regarding Arunachal Pradesh, highlighting that the state will continue to benefit from India’s development programs and infrastructure projects. The boundary discussions between India and China are ongoing, but India’s position on Arunachal Pradesh remains unwavering.
(With inputs from TOI, ANI)
