‘Don’t accept illegal Chinese occupation’: India on Pentagon's China report

Days after a Pentagon report said Beijing built a large village in a disputed territory in the Arunachal Pradesh sector, India on Thursday said it has neither accepted any illegal occupation of its territory by China nor has it accepted unjustified Chinese claims. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on its security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He also said that India too stepped up infrastructure development including construction of roads and bridges in areas along the border with China.

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Bagchi said India has taken note of the US Department of Defence report to the US Congress that made a reference to construction activities by the Chinese side along the India-China border areas.

He said China has undertaken construction activities in the past several years along the border areas including in the areas that it has illegally occupied over the decades.

"We have taken note of the US Department of Defence' report to US Congress which inter-alia also makes a reference to construction activities by Chinese side along the India-China border areas particularly in the Eastern sector," he said.

Bagchi was replying to a question on the matter.

"Reports had also appeared in the media earlier this year on this issue. As we had stated then China has undertaken construction activities in the past several years along the border areas including in the areas that it has illegally occupied over the decades," he said.

"India has neither accepted such illegal occupation of our territory nor has it accepted the unjustified Chinese claims. The government has always conveyed its strong protest to such activities through diplomatic means and will continue to do so in the future," Bagchi said.

He said Indian has also stepped up border infrastructure including the construction of roads, bridges etc, which has provided much needed connectivity to the local population along the border.

"The government remains committed to the objective of creating infrastructure along the border areas for the improvement of livelihood of its citizens, including in Arunachal Pradesh," he said.

"The government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India's security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Bagchi added.

In its recent report, the US Department of Defence said China built a large 100-home civilian village inside disputed territory between its Tibet Autonomous Region and India's Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).