New Delhi: In a recent development, China on Thursday expressed its strong disapproval of the United States’ recognition of Arunachal Pradesh as a part of Indian territory. The Chinese government has stated that the US has no role in the border dispute between India and China. The US has been accused by China of exploiting disputes between other countries for its own geopolitical gains. This reaction from China was prompted by comments made by Vedant Patel, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, who stated that the US recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory.
Patel further added that the US is strongly against any unilateral attempts to assert territorial claims through military or civilian incursions across the Line of Actual Control. In response to these comments, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, expressed China’s strong disapproval.
Lin Jian also emphasized that the boundary between China and India has not been fully demarcated and that ‘Zangnan’ (the official Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) has always been a part of China’s territory. He further stated that the border issue between China and India is a bilateral matter and the US has no involvement in it.
The US official’s comments came shortly after the Chinese military reiterated its claim over Arunachal Pradesh following a visit to the state by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang of the Chinese Defence Ministry stated that the southern part of Xizang (the Chinese name for Tibet) is an inherent part of China’s territory and that Beijing firmly opposes the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India.
China, which refers to Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, routinely protests against visits by Indian leaders to the state in order to assert its claims. Despite China’s objections, India has consistently rejected China’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of India. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs recently reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will continue to be an integral and inalienable part of India.
