Shah in Arunachal, China says ‘not good for peace’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah being received by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma upon his arrival at Dibrugarh airport, Assam, on Monday. Pic/PTI

China on Monday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, stating that it violated Chinese sovereignty over the area, a claim dismissed by India. Shah on Monday launched ‘Vibrant Villages Programme' from Kibithoo, the border village of the state.

"Zangnan, (the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) is China's territory. Indian officials' activities in this area violate China's sovereignty and (are) not conducive to peace and tranquillity in the border regions. We firmly oppose it," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a media briefing while answering a question on Shah's visit to the area. China's renaming came in the midst of the lingering eastern Ladakh border standoff that began in May 2020.

Just last week, Beijing announced Chinese names for 11 more places in Arunachal Pradesh, which the neighbouring country claims as Southern Tibet. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi rejected the renaming.

Also read: ‘Violation of territorial sovereignty': Chinese FM spokesperson on Shah's visit

‘No one can encroach'

Addressing the villagers at Kibithoo, Shah said, the valour of army and ITBP personnel ensures that no one can encroach even an inch of India's land.

"The era is gone when anyone could encroach on our lands. Now, not even land equal to ‘sui ki nook' (inch of land) can be encroached...," the minister said.

"It is because of this attitude of Arunachalis that China which had come to occupy it had to retreat," Shah said.

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