'Arunachal Integral, Inalienable Part Of India': MEA Rejects China's "Absurd, Baseless" Claims Over Northeastern State

India has rejected the "absurd claims" and "baseless arguments" made by China on Arunachal Pradesh, and asserted that the northeastern State is an "integral and inalienable part of India".

In an official statement on Monday (19 March), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the people of Arunachal Pradesh will "continue to benefit" from India's development programmes and infrastructure projects.

"We have noted the comments made by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity," said Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson of MEA.

"Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programmes and infrastructure projects," he added.

This comes after the Chinese defence ministry termed Arunachal Pradesh as as "Zangan- an inherent part of China's territory".

"Zangnan is China's inherent territory, and China never recognizes and firmly opposes India's illegal establishment of the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh'," said spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of National Defence Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang on 15 March.

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