China has condemned Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday to attend its statehood day.
China, which considers Arunachal Pradesh a part of South Tibet, said it was “firmly opposed” to Shah’s trip as it violated Beijing’s “territorial sovereignty and sabotaged political mutual trust,” according to media reports.
Shah would inaugurate various road infrastructure projects on the occasion of the state’s 34th Statehood Day.
Earlier in 2019, China had objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state and highlighted its claim over it.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang, said its position on the Tibet region was clear and consistent, reports said.
He added that the Chinese government had never acknowledged the “so-called state of Arunachal Pradesh” and was firmly opposed to “Amit Shah’s visit to the southern part of China.”
Shuang addressed the media on Thursday after Shah’s arrival in the state. He added that India was sabotaging political mutual trust and bilateral agreement by considering the state its own.
He urged India not to take any action that could further complicate the matter and raise tensions along the border. He said that China was trying to uphold peace and tranquility in the border area, according to media reports.
The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC).
China claims Arunachal Pradesh is a part of Southern Tibet and the two countries have so far held 22 rounds of Special Representatives talks to resolve the border dispute.
On February 20, Arunachal Pradesh became a full state from union territory, NDTV reported.