NEW DELHI: China defended the construction of a village that, according to reports based on satellite images released by the US imaging firm Planet Labs, is allegedly located in Arunachal Pradesh, calling it a question of sovereignty and insisting that it never recognized the “illegally established” Indian state.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry described it as normal construction activities on China’s “home turf.” The Indian government had reacted to the reports saying that China has been carrying out works along the border and that India has also stepped up construction infrastructure such as roads and bridges. India said on Monday that it was constantly monitoring all developments related to the country’s security and took the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“First, I would like to tell you that China’s position in the eastern sector of the China-India border, or Zangnan (the southern part of China’s Tibet), is consistent and clear. We have never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established on Chinese territory, ”said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying. The official was responding to a query about the construction of the housing units. China has consistently denied India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh despite the fact that it was Tibet, prior to its takeover by China, that shared borders with India.
“China’s normal construction on its own territory is completely a matter of sovereignty,” Hua added. Hua said that China’s development and activities “within our own territory is normal.”
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