China objects to VP Venkaiah Naidu's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India rejects its opposition

New Delhi, Oct 13: China on Wednesday raised objection to the recent visit of Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to Arunachal Pradesh stating that it firmly opposes his visit and India should not take any action that could complicate bilateral relations between the neighbours.

"We urge the Indian side to earnestly respect China's major concerns, stop taking any action that would complicate and expand the boundary issue and refrain from undermining mutual trust and bilateral relations," the PTI quotes Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian as saying, stating China's stand on the boundary has remained consistent and clear.

"The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh established unilaterally and illegally by the Indian side and is firmly opposed to the Indian leader's visit to the area concerned," Zhao said.

The spokesman urged India to take "real concrete action" for the peace and stability in the border areas of the two countries, thereby helping the process of bringing bilateral relations on track "of sound and steady development."

However, the Ministry of External Affairs has rejected the comments made by China and said, "Objecting to the visit of Indian leaders to an Indian state does not stand to reason and understanding of Indian people."

Venkaiah Naidu had addressed a special session of the state assembly in Arunachal Pradesh on 9 October where he said the visible transformation of the northeast is clear evidence of a resurgence in the region's pace of development which remained neglected for decades.

While China has routinely objected to Indian leaders visiting Arunachal Pradesh and claims it to be part of South Tibet, India has been stating that it is an integral and inalienable part of the country and Indian leaders visit the state from time to time, as they visit other parts of the country.

The India-China boundary dispute covers 3,488 km along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

China's reaction comes days after India and China failed to make any headway in resolving the 17-month standoff in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh.