This Article is From Sep 15, 2014

India reacts, says Arunachal an integral part

New Delhi: India has rejected Chinese objections to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, asserting the state is an integral part of the country.

India called the Chinese ambassador to register its protest and said that China's stand won't help boundary talks.

Earlier, the government expressed disappointment and concern over China's statement, saying, "China is well aware of India's position on Arunachal Pradesh. India's position has been articulated many times. China may have its view, but India's position is clear."

External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said, "No matter what others say, it's the government of India's stated position that Arunachal is an integral part of India."

A furious China had complained about the prime minister's visit to Arunachal Pradesh earlier this month.

"We demand the Indian side address China's serious concerns and not trigger disturbance in the disputed region so as to facilitate the healthy development of China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement posted on the ministry's website.

"China is strongly dissatisfied with the visit to the disputed region by the Indian leader disregarding China's serious concerns," Ma said.

He noted that China and India had "never officially settled" demarcation of their border, and China's stance on the eastern section of the China-India border was "consistent and clear-cut".

Singh had toured and addressed an election rally in Arunachal Pradesh on October 3.

Recently, China had blocked part of a loan to India from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for developmental projects in Arunachal Pradesh. China also protested a visit to the state last month by exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.

India says China is illegally occupying 43,180 sq km of Jammu and Kashmir. On the other hand, China accuses India of possessing some 90,000 sq km of Chinese territory, mostly in Arunachal Pradesh.

This is not the first time India and China have voiced their differences over the boundary issue. While the most recent one is China's objection to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, here are some other instances in the past:

October 2009: Earlier this month, China invited strong protest from India after it issued separate visas for Kashmiris from India.

June 2009: China objected to an ADB loan to Arunachal Pradesh, claiming it's a 'disputed territory' between India and China

February 2008: China had again objected to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh the year before that, in May, China denied a travel visa application from an Indian Administrative Service officer in Arunachal Pradesh, saying that since Arunachal is China's territory, the official did not need a visa to visit his own country.

November 2006: China and India had a verbal spat  - India accused China of occupying 38,000 square kilometers of its territory in Kashmir. China claimed the whole of Arunachal Pradesh as its own.

September 1999: China objected again when India established a new Indian Army Unit in the Ladakh region
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