China objects to Nirmala Sitharaman's visit to Arunachal Pradesh
, ET Bureau|
Nov 06, 2017, 11.46 PM IST
China has objected to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying there is a dispute in the eastern section of the Line of Actual Control.
“Regarding Indian defence minister’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, you must be very clear about China’s position,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing on Monday, a day after Sitharaman visited the state.
“There is a dispute on the eastern section of the China-India boundary. So, this visit by the Indian side to the disputed area is not conducive to the peace and tranquility of the relevant region,” Hua said in a reply to a question.
“The Indian side should work with the Chinese side to make contribution to properly revolving the issue through dialogue and create enabling environment and conditions. Hope India will work with China for the shared goal, seek a solution acceptable to both sides and accommodate our concerns in a balanced way,” she said.
Sitharaman had visited forward army posts in remote Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China to take stock of the defence preparedness on Sunday.
Earlier this year, China had objected to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s visit to the state.
Last year, it had raised objections against then US envoy Richard Verma’s visit. Beijing had been opposing visits by Indian presidents and prime ministers to Arunachal Pradesh, including the visits by Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee during their tenures.
At the heart of Sino-Indian boundary dispute is the issue of Arunachal Pradesh (90,000 sq km), which China describes as “Southern Tibet”.
Beijing has been demanding that at least the Tawang tract of Arunachal Pradesh, if not the whole of the state, be transferred to China. While China has ruled out a boundary settlement without the transfer of at least Tawang, India has made it clear that there can be no compromise on Arunachal Pradesh.
“Regarding Indian defence minister’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, you must be very clear about China’s position,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing on Monday, a day after Sitharaman visited the state.
“There is a dispute on the eastern section of the China-India boundary. So, this visit by the Indian side to the disputed area is not conducive to the peace and tranquility of the relevant region,” Hua said in a reply to a question.
“The Indian side should work with the Chinese side to make contribution to properly revolving the issue through dialogue and create enabling environment and conditions. Hope India will work with China for the shared goal, seek a solution acceptable to both sides and accommodate our concerns in a balanced way,” she said.
Sitharaman had visited forward army posts in remote Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China to take stock of the defence preparedness on Sunday.
Earlier this year, China had objected to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s visit to the state.
Last year, it had raised objections against then US envoy Richard Verma’s visit. Beijing had been opposing visits by Indian presidents and prime ministers to Arunachal Pradesh, including the visits by Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee during their tenures.
At the heart of Sino-Indian boundary dispute is the issue of Arunachal Pradesh (90,000 sq km), which China describes as “Southern Tibet”.
Beijing has been demanding that at least the Tawang tract of Arunachal Pradesh, if not the whole of the state, be transferred to China. While China has ruled out a boundary settlement without the transfer of at least Tawang, India has made it clear that there can be no compromise on Arunachal Pradesh.
