US strongly opposes China's claim over Arunachal Pradesh

Washington, DC [US], Marh 21: The United States recognises Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and "strongly opposes" any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by China across the Line of actual Control, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said.

The Biden administration official's statement came a few days after the Chinese military repeated its claim over the northeast state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a visit to the state and launched development projects.

Earlier this week, the Chinese defence ministry reiterated its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, terming the Indian State as as "Zangan- an inherent part of China's territory," saying, Beijing "never acknowledges and firmly opposes" the "so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India".

"Zangnan is China's inherent territory, and China never recognises and firmly opposes India's illegal establishment of the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh'," said spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defence Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang on March 15.

When questioned about the same, during a daily press briefing on Wednesday (local time), the State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson, Patel said, "The United States recognises 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."

Time and again India has rejected China's territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral and inalienable part of the country.

The Ministry of External Affairs in an official statement on Tuesday noted that the people of Arunachal Pradesh will "continue to benefit" from India's development programmes and infrastructure projects.

"We have noted the comments made by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity," said the official spokesperson of MEA, Randhir Jaiswal.

"Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programmes and infrastructure projects," the statement added.