New Delhi: India on Wednesday, October 13, flayed China for making comments on "unrelated issues” vis-a-vis visit of Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu, to Arunachal Pradesh.
"We have noted the comments made today by the Chinese official spokesperson. We reject such comments. Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India. Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India," MEA spokesman. Arindam Bagchi said in response to a media query about the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson’s comments on the recent visit of Vice President Mr Nadu to Arunachal Pradesh.
"Objecting to the visit of Indian leaders to a state of India does not stand to reason and understanding of Indian people," he said.
Further, he said: "….as we have mentioned earlier, the current situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas has been caused by unilateral attempts of the Chinese side to alter the status quo in violation of the bilateral agreements".
Therefore, he said, India expects the Chinese side to work towards "early resolution" of the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols "rather than trying to link unrelated issues.”
At the recent military levels on border issues on October 10, the Indian side maintained a clear and assertive posture telling China that "the situation along the LAC had been caused by unilateral" attempts by Beijing to alter the status quo.
During the meeting, the Indian side also "made constructive suggestions" for resolving the pending issues but the Chinese side was not agreeable and also could not provide any forward-looking proposals.
"The meeting thus did not result in resolution of the remaining areas," an MEA statement had said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said with regard to Mr Venkaihah Naidu's visit: "The Chinese government never recognises the so-called Arunachal Pradesh established unilaterally and illegally by the Indian side, and is firmly opposed to the Indian leaders’ visits to the area concerned. We urge the Indian side to earnestly respect China’s major concerns, stop taking any action that would complicate and expand the boundary issue, and refrain from undermining mutual trust and bilateral relations".
China's foreign policy is generally guided by its policy towards India and Pakistan. Beijing does not regard Arunachal Pradesh as part of India and in 2017 had objected to the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's visit to the northeastern state.
The Dalai Lama was on a 12-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh in 2017 amid objections from China.
China had also objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China in February 2019.
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