New Delhi: India on Saturday asserted Arunachal Pradesh is its “integral and inalienable” part after China opposed Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s visit to the border state. The Ministry of External Affairs said India has conveyed its “consistent position” on the issue to China on several occasions. “The state of Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India. Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other parts of India. This consistent position has been conveyed to the Chinese side on several occasions,” the MEA said in a statement.
Modi on Saturday visited Arunachal Pradesh during which he inaugurated and laid foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore and said his government was giving a lot of importance to improve connectivity in the sensitive state. In response to a question on Modi’s visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, “China’s position on the China-India boundary question is consistent and clear-cut. The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ and is firmly opposed to the Indian leader’s visit to the East Section of the China-India boundary.”