Arunachal Pradesh, 'integral and inalienable part' of India

New Delhi: In a response to China's Foreign Ministry statement, condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India's Ministry of Foreign Affairs termed Arunachal Pradesh as an 'integral and inalienable' part of India.

China's foreign ministry in a statement had said, "China urges the Indian side to proceed from the overall situation of bilateral relations, respect China's interests and concerns, cherish the momentum of improving relations between the two countries, and refrain from any actions that intensify disputes and complicate the border issue."

When the MEA was questioned by the media over the statement, its official spokesperson said, "The State of Arunachal Pradesh is an 'integral and inalienable' part of India and the country's leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other parts of India. This consistent position has been conveyed to the Chinese side on several occasions," he added.

Aiming at garnering the support of the northeastern state before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi went there to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore.

Modi also reiterated that their government was placing a lot of importance to improve connectivity in the sensitive border state.

The region became a sensitive issue for both the countries over the Indo-China border which led to a war in 1962, as China claims it as Southern Tibet.

Despite having a number of efforts to improve the bilateral ties between both the countries, the region still remains a sensitive issue.