China Is Sent A Strong Message: “Arunachal Pradesh Is Indian Territory” by The US State Department

On Wednesday, the United States formally acknowledged Arunachal Pradesh as part of India and voiced its opposition to any unilateral moves to expand territorial claims beyond the Line of Actual Control.

“The United States recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions or encroachments, military or civilian, across the Line of Actual Control,” State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said during his daily press conference.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China, the Chinese military reaffirmed its claim to the territory, which coincided with the US State Department’s statement. The southern region of Xizang, the Chinese term for Tibet, is an intrinsic part of China’s territory, according to a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry earlier this week. Beijing also “never acknowledges and firmly opposes” the “so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India.”

China often opposes trips by Indian politicians to Arunachal Pradesh in order to accentuate their claims, since it regards the state as South Tibet. The region is also known as Zangnan in Beijing. Prime Minister Modi dedicated the 13,000-foot Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh to the country on March 9. The tunnel would allow for improved military mobility along the border area and offer Tawang, which is strategically placed, an all-weather connection.

China’s territorial claims to Arunachal Pradesh have been consistently denied by India, which maintains that the state constitutes an essential component of its territory. Beijing’s decision to give the region “invented” names has also been rejected by New Delhi, which claims it has no effect on reality. The Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson’s recent remarks about “advancing absurd claims” over Arunachal Pradesh’s territory were noted by the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday. The statement stated that the state “was, is, and will always be” an integral and inalienable part of India.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the latest Chinese remark on Arunachal during his speech at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit on Wednesday. He said, “They (China) have been saying it since the times of Jawaharlal Nehru.” They had even taken a sizable portion at that point. That was not my birth year, 1962. However, no one is brave enough to cross any Indian border with even an inch of land under the Modi administration. We have promised the people of Bharat this.