India on Tuesday rejected China’s contention that Arunachal Pradesh, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a major infrastructure project last week, is part of Chinese territory and said such claims will not change the reality that the state is part of the country.

This was the latest war of words between the two sides over the strategic northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing has for long claimed as “Zangnan” or South Tibet.

China traditionally bristles over visits to the region by top Indian leaders but such reactions are usually brushed aside by New Delhi.

“We reject the comments made by the Chinese side regarding the visit of the Prime Minister to Arunachal Pradesh. Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other states of India,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

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“Objecting to such visits or India’s developmental projects does not stand to reason. Further, it will not change the reality that the state of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India,” he said.

The Chinese side, Jaiswal said, has been “made aware of this consistent position” on several occasions.

On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin had reacted to Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh on March 9 to inaugurate the Sela Tunnel and other infrastructure projects by saying that the area of “Zangnan is Chinese territory” and that the Chinese government has “never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh”.

Wang, who was responding to a question from China’s state-run media during a regular media briefing, also said the “China-India boundary question has yet to be solved”.

He contended that India has “no right to arbitrarily develop” Arunachal Pradesh and that such moves will “complicate the boundary question and disrupt the situation in the border areas”.

Wang also said that China “strongly deplores and firmly opposes” the Indian premier’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh and has made “solemn representations to India” in this context.

Modi remotely inaugurated the tunnel, built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at a cost of ₹825 crore, from Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar. The world’s longest twin-lane tunnel, located above 13,000 feet, will provide all-weather connectivity and allow quicker deployment of troops and equipment to forward areas near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Tawang sector.

The tunnel is part of projects taken up by the government to upgrade infrastructure all along the LAC amid a dragging military standoff with China in Ladakh sector that began in May 2020. Both sides have arrayed close to 50,000 troops each in Ladakh sector and India has made it clear that bilateral relations cannot be normalised till there is peace and tranquillity in the border areas.