The remarks came a day after India inaugurated 44 key bridges in the border areas of Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim. Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
In strong retaliation, China’s Foreign Ministry said today that Beijing opposes the development of infrastructure facilities that is aimed at military containment along the border areas.
“On the basis of the consensus of the two sides, neither should take action that may aggravate the situation. That could also undermine efforts to alleviate the situation,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
He added that it does not recognize the UT of Ladakh, which is established “illegally” by India, as well as the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
China also noted that the Indian side has been increasing infrastructure development along the border areas and military deployment, which it called the “root cause” of the tensions between the two countries.
The comments also came in the context of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealing that China has amassed more than 60,000 troops on India’s northern border.
Amid the border clash with China, India is accelerating work on several key projects, including a strategic highway linking Darcha in Himachal Pradesh with Ladakh, which will traverse several high-altitude snow-covered passes.
Most of the newly opened bridges, including seven in Ladakh, are in strategically important areas and will help the armed forces ensure rapid movement of troops and weapons.
(With inputs from agencies)
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