BEIJING – China on Thursday expressed anger over a visit by Indian PrimeMinister Narendra Modi to the remote Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh,which China also claims, and said India should stop any action that mightcomplicate the dispute.
China claims the region in the eastern Himalayas as “South Tibet”, and ithas denounced Indian leaders’ visits there as attempts to bolster India’sclaims.
“China’s position on the China-India boundary question is consistent andclear-cut,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in astatement carried by the official Xinhua news agency.
“The Chinese government has never recognized the so-called ArunachalPradesh and is firmly opposed to the Indian leader’s visit to the disputedarea,” Geng said.
“We will lodge stern representations with the Indian side,” he said.
Modi is visiting as part of a tour of India’s northeastern states.
“I am delighted to visit Arunachal Pradesh and be among the wonderfulpeople of this state,” Modi said in a Twitter post.
China and India have improved ties in recent years but there is still deepdistrust over their long festering border dispute, which triggered a briefwar in 1962.
Chinese and Indian troops faced off on another disputed part of the borderlast year.
Chinese spokesman Geng said China and India had reached an importantconsensus on properly managing disputes, and the two sides were working toresolve their contested border through negotiation and consultation. “The Chinese side urges the Indian side to honor its commitment and abideby the relevant consensus, and refrain from taking any action that maycomplicate the boundary question,” Geng said.
Modi is expected to visit China in June for a summit of the Chinese andRussian-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization security bloc.
He inaugurated a convention center in the Arunachal Pradesh state capitalof Itanagar and said the state authorities had prepared an excellentroadmap for development until 2027.