1. US official reaffirms Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory amidst rising tensions.
2. Counters recent Chinese military claims asserting territorial control over the region.
3. Highlights ongoing dispute over Arunachal Pradesh’s sovereignty between India and China.
Itanagar, March 21: Amid escalating tensions, a US official has reasserted Washington’s recognition of Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory, countering recent claims by the Chinese military.
The statement follows China’s assertion that Arunachal Pradesh falls within its territorial boundaries.
The United States has voiced staunch opposition to any efforts aimed at altering territorial demarcations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Vedant Patel, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department, underscored this stance during a press briefing, affirming, “The United States recognizes 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.”
The US response comes in the wake of a statement by Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Chinese Defence Ministry, disavowing Arunachal Pradesh as an Indian state and denoting it as ‘Zangnan’.
In rebuffing China’s assertion, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, labeled the claim as ‘absurd’.
Jaiswal reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh has, and will always remain, an integral part of India. He emphasized that baseless arguments fail to legitimize such claims, emphasizing the region’s continued integration with India’s developmental initiatives.
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Earlier this month, China lodged a formal protest against India following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
During the visit, Modi inaugurated the Sela tunnel, a critical infrastructure project facilitating all-weather connectivity to Tawang, a region bordering China to the north.
The tunnel’s inauguration further underscored India’s commitment to enhancing infrastructure and connectivity in the strategically significant region.
As tensions persist, the reaffirmation of Arunachal Pradesh’s status by the United States provides a significant diplomatic boost to India amidst China’s territorial assertions.
The dispute over Arunachal Pradesh underscores broader geopolitical tensions in the region and the complexities surrounding territorial sovereignty and geopolitical interests.
