ITANAGAR, Mar 12: Arunachal is an integral and inalienable part of India and the fact has been clearly conveyed to the Chinese side on several occasions, including at the highest level, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday.
Responding a query from Uttar Pradesh MP Ravi Prakash Verma in the Rajya Sabha as to whether the Chinese government had raised objections against the
visit of India’s home minister to Arunachal in February this year, union MoS for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, said, “The official spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs in a statement on 20 February, 2020, had reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India and Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India.
“The fact that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India has also been clearly conveyed to the Chinese side on several occasions, including at the highest level,” he said.
Home Minister Amit Shah had visited Arunachal to attend the 34th Statehood Day celebration, but China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Geng Shuang, had said Beijing “never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh.”
Muraleedharan further clarified that there is no commonly delineated Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the border areas between India and China. However, the minister said, “From time to time, on account of differences in the perception of the LAC, situations have arisen on the ground that could have been avoided if we had a common perception of the LAC.”
The minister said that the government regularly takes up any transgression along the LAC with the Chinese side through established mechanisms, including border personnel meetings, flag meetings, meetings of the working mechanism for consultation & coordination on India-China border affairs, and diplomatic channels.
“India and China have underscored the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in all areas of the India-China border region in the larger interest of the overall development of bilateral relations,” Muraleedharan added.
