India has reasserted that its position on Arunachal Pradesh being a part of India is firm.

A message to this effect was conveyed to the Chinese ambassador on Tuesday, after China raised objections to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the state.

Discussing the issue with NDTV, Foreign Minister S M Krishna said, "High voter turnout in Arunachal may be the reason for Chinese worry." The Prime Minister had addressed an election rally in Arunachal Pradesh on October 3.

A subsequent statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said, "China is strongly dissatisfied with the Indian leader's visit to the disputed region, disregarding China's serious concerns. We demand the Indian side address these concerns and not trigger disturbance in the disputed region, so as to facilitate the healthy development of China-India relations."

China accuses India of possessing some 90,000 sq km of Chinese territory, mostly in Arunachal Pradesh.