India on Tuesday reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable” part of the country, asserting that no statement or action can alter this reality.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also stressed the importance of maintaining peace along the India-China border, noting that the state of border affairs has a direct bearing on bilateral relations.
Arunachal Pradesh Is An Integral Part Of India: MEA
Addressing a bi-weekly briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Arunachal Pradesh’s status as part of India is an indisputable fact. “Arunachal Pradesh is an indelible and integral part of India, and this is a fact which is self-evident. At the same time, let me also underline that nothing can change this indisputable reality,” Jaiswal said. His remarks came after China strongly reacted to India’s decision to rename 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing refers to as “Zangnan” or “South Tibet”.
Notably, India on August 7 renamed 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, with the new names reflecting the identity, history and regional significance of these places. The updated names have also been incorporated into India’s official map. However, China criticised the move, calling it “illegal, null and void”. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing did not recognise Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory, adding that it won’t “change the fact that Zangnan region belongs to China.”
‘Peace Along Border Areas Of Utmost Importance’: MEA
India has consistently rejected China’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh and maintained that the northeastern state is an integral and inalienable part of the country. Jaiswal also underlined India’s position that peace and tranquillity in the border areas are essential for the broader development of India-China relations.
“In matters relating to the border areas between India and China, we have always emphasised in our discussions with the Chinese side that we consider these issues as most serious, and that maintaining peace and tranquillity in these areas is of the utmost importance,” Jaiswal said. The MEA spokesperson further stressed that India has also made it clear that the condition of the border will have a bearing on the overall relationship between the two countries.
“We have also stated that the state of our border affairs will reflect on the state of our larger bilateral ties. This was reiterated at the recently held 36th meeting of the WMCC on India-China border affairs… At this meeting, the two sides engaged in frank discussions and reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control,” Jaiswal added.