Construction in ‘our own territory’ normal, says China on reports of building village in Arunachal

Beijing, Jan 21: China's development and construction activities "within its own territory" is "normal" and beyond reproach, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said here on Thursday, reacting to a report about China building a new village in Arunachal Pradesh.

"China's position on the Zangnan region (South Tibet) is consistent and clear. We never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing while responding to a question.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India''s consistent stand has been that the northeastern state is an integral and inalienable part of the country.

Hua said China's development and construction activities "within our own territory is normal."

"This is beyond reproach as it is in our territory," Hua added.

In a report, NDTV news channel showed two images of the area in Arunachal Pradesh where it said a new village has been set up by China and it consisted of about 101 homes. According to the channel, the first image dated August 26, 2019 did not show any human habitation but the second one of November 2020 shows a row of structures.

In a cautious reaction to the report, India on Monday said it keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on the country''s security, and takes necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said India has stepped up the construction of border infrastructure, including roads and bridges for the improvement of livelihood of its citizens.

"Government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India''s security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.

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

The report about China setting up a new village in Arunachal Pradesh comes amid a military standoff in eastern Ladakh for over eight months.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to resolve the face-off in eastern Ladakh, but no significant headway has been made so far.