India hits back at China's 'absurd claims' over Arunachal

India termed China's remarks on Arunachal Pradesh as baseless and asserted that the region is and shall remain an inalienable part of the country.

Reacting to the remarks made by the spokesperson of the Chinese defence ministry, India's Ministry of External Affairs said that repeating baseless arguments doesn't lend credibility to China's territorial claims over Arunachal.

“Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity. Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programmes and infrastructure projects," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Earlier the Chinese military claimed that Arunachal was "an 'inherent part of China's territory' and reiterated its objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to India's northeastern state, saying that it won't recognise Arunachal Pradesh.

The Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang said that the southern part of Xizang (the Chinese name for Tibet) is an inherent part of China's territory, and Beijing "never acknowledges and firmly opposes" the “so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India”, official media here reported.

Zhang made the remarks in response to India's enhancement of its military readiness through the Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, according to a report posted on the Chinese Defence Ministry's website on Friday.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet and routinely objects to Indian leaders' visits.

On March 9, Prime Minister Modi dedicated to the nation the Sela Tunnel built at an altitude of 13,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh that will provide all-weather connectivity to strategically located Tawang and is expected to ensure better movement of troops along the frontier region.

The Rs 825 crore tunnel, constructed on the road connecting Assam's Tezpur to West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, is being billed as the longest bi-lane road tunnel in the world at such an altitude.

The Sela Tunnel will provide for better movement of troops and weaponry to various forward locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, according to Indian military officials.

"The Indian side's actions contradict the efforts made by both sides to ease border situations and are not conducive to maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas," Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang said without referring to Prime Minister Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

(With PTI inputs)

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