Reacting to reports of an alleged Chinese incursion in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has warned that the state of border affairs will reflect on the “state of larger bilateral ties” between the two countries.
Key Statements
Responding to a question on this on Tuesday, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said maintaining peace in the area is the most important thing and gave details about discussions that have taken place on border issues. “In matters relating to the border areas between India and China, we have always emphasised in discussions with the Chinese side that we consider these issues as most serious and that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in these areas is of the utmost importance.
Asked about this last week, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu denied the reports and said he would speak to the Army and local organisations to find out exactly what had happened. Khandu said he did not think any such incursion was taking place as the Army has been effectively guarding the border and maintaining the security of Indian territory. We have also stated that the state of the border affairs will reflect on the state of our larger bilateral ties,” Jaiswal said. The spokesperson said both sides agreed to continue to use existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC and local commander‑level meetings, to resolve outstanding issues and “avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation” along the LAC. China had objected to the move and said it does not recognise Arunachal Pradesh. “India’s move of attempting to replace names long been used by China with its so-called ‘standard names’ is illegal, null and void,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
