‘US recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory’
The US recognises Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and strongly opposes any unilateral attempts by China to advance its territorial claims across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a senior Biden administration official has said, days after the Chinese military reiterated its claim over the State following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit there.
Earlier this week, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang said that the southern part of Xizang (the Chinese name for Tibet) is an inherent part of China’s territory, and Beijing “never acknowledges and firmly opposes” the “so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India.”
China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, routinely objects to Indian leaders’ visits to the State to highlight its claims. Beijing has also named the area Zangnan.
On March 9, Prime Minister Modi dedicated to the nation the Sela Tunnel, built at an altitude of 13,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh.
The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to strategically located Tawang and is expected to ensure better troop movement along the frontier region.
Speaking at his daily press conference on March 20, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, “The United States recognises Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions or encroachments, military or civilian, across the Line of Actual Control.”
India has repeatedly rejected China’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the State is an integral part of the country.
New Delhi has also dismissed Beijing’s move to assign “invented” names to the area, saying it did not alter the reality.