NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Thursday rebutted China’s claims on Arunachal Pradesh, labeling them as “baseless”. Reiterating India’s stance, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, a fact that is immutable despite China’s persistent assertions.
“Our position has been made very clear time and again. China may repeat its baseless claims as many times as they want.That is not going to change the position of India. Arunachal Pradesh was is and will always remain an integral an inalienable part of India,” ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said while addressing a press briefing.
Earlier this week, China continued to claim that Arunachal Pradesh has “always been” its territory, notwithstanding India dismissing Beijing‘s claim as “absurd” and “ludicrous”.
“Zangnan (the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) in the eastern sector has always been China’s territory,” Lin said. China had all along exercised effective administrative jurisdiction over the area “until India’s illegal occupation”, he said, claiming this as a “basic fact that cannot be denied”.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar had denounced China’s repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh as “ludicrous” and that the frontier state was a “natural part of India”.
“This is not a new issue. I mean China has laid claim, it has expanded its claim. The claims are ludicrous to begin with and remain ludicrous today. So, I think we’ve been very clear, very consistent on this. And I think you know that is something which will be part of the boundary discussions which are taking place,” he had said at the Institute of South Asian Studies of the National University of Singapore.
Lin, replying to a question from the official media seeking his reactions to Jaishankar’s comments, said the border between India and China has never been settled. “The China-India boundary has never been delimited and is divided into the eastern sector, the middle sector, the western sector, and the Sikkim section”, he said.
“In 1987, India formed the so-called “Arunachal Pradesh” on China’s territory under India’s illegal occupation. China issued a statement right then to firmly oppose it and stress that India’s move was illegal and null and void. China’s position remains unchanged,” Lin said. This is the fourth time this month China spoke about its claim over Arunachal.
“Our position has been made very clear time and again. China may repeat its baseless claims as many times as they want.That is not going to change the position of India. Arunachal Pradesh was is and will always remain an integral an inalienable part of India,” ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said while addressing a press briefing.
Earlier this week, China continued to claim that Arunachal Pradesh has “always been” its territory, notwithstanding India dismissing Beijing‘s claim as “absurd” and “ludicrous”.
“Zangnan (the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) in the eastern sector has always been China’s territory,” Lin said. China had all along exercised effective administrative jurisdiction over the area “until India’s illegal occupation”, he said, claiming this as a “basic fact that cannot be denied”.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar had denounced China’s repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh as “ludicrous” and that the frontier state was a “natural part of India”.
“This is not a new issue. I mean China has laid claim, it has expanded its claim. The claims are ludicrous to begin with and remain ludicrous today. So, I think we’ve been very clear, very consistent on this. And I think you know that is something which will be part of the boundary discussions which are taking place,” he had said at the Institute of South Asian Studies of the National University of Singapore.
Lin, replying to a question from the official media seeking his reactions to Jaishankar’s comments, said the border between India and China has never been settled. “The China-India boundary has never been delimited and is divided into the eastern sector, the middle sector, the western sector, and the Sikkim section”, he said.
“In 1987, India formed the so-called “Arunachal Pradesh” on China’s territory under India’s illegal occupation. China issued a statement right then to firmly oppose it and stress that India’s move was illegal and null and void. China’s position remains unchanged,” Lin said. This is the fourth time this month China spoke about its claim over Arunachal.