News Brief
New Chinese village in Arunachal (Twitter)
Reacting to the reports of the construction of a village by China in Indian territory under its occupation since 1959, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that India has neither accepted China's occupation of its territory nor the country's unjustified territorial claims.
"India has neither accepted such occupation of our territory nor has it accepted the unjustified Chinese claims. The government has always conveyed its strong protest to such activities through diplomatic means and will continue to do so in the future," the MEA has said.
"China has undertaken construction activities in the past several years along the border areas, including in the areas that it has illegally occupied over decades," the ministry's spokesperson has said.
The MEA said that India has also stepped up the construction of roads and bridges in the border areas to provide much-needed connectivity to local people. These efforts, experts have said in the past, will significantly boost the speed with which Indian forces can respond to China's actions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Under its border defence villages programme in Tibet, the Chinese Communist Party is building over 600 new settlements along the boundary with India and Bhutan. The Chinese village in Arunachal Pradesh has also been built under this programme. It has come up in the territory that China occupied during the Longju incident of 1959. The fear is that China will use these villages to strengthen its claim on territory claimed by India.
India and China have been locked in a tense military standoff in eastern Ladakh for over 18 months now. Tensions are also rising in the eastern sector of the boundary in Arunachal Pradesh, where China has significantly increased its activity. Chinese forces recently attempted an incursion near the Tawang district of Arunachal, which was foiled by the Indian Army. At least one report claimed that a few Chinese soldiers were temporarily detained by the Indian Army during the standoff near Tawang.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest