Home Minister Amit Shah’s Arunachal visit draws sharp reaction from China

Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to border state Arunachal Pradesh, China has said it firmly opposes the visit and views his activities in the area as violating the territorial sovereignty of Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a press conference on Monday.

The visit “violates China’s territorial sovereignty, and is not conducive to the peace and tranquillity of the border situation,” China spokesperson Wang Wenbin was quoted as saying by Reuters.

China recently has attempted to stake its claim to Indian territory by renaming some places that lie in Arunachal Pradesh. The northeastern state has also seen border transgressions by China and engagement with Indian troops. 

HM Shah is on a 2-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh from Monday where he will be launching the 'Vibrant Villages Programme' (VVP) in Kibithoo, a village along the border with China. This is his first visit to Arunachal Pradesh as the Union Home Minister. 

He is also slated to inaugurate nine micro hydel projects built under the “Golden Jubilee Border Illumination Programme” in Kibithoo, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) projects. He will interact with ITBP personnel at the Anjaw district village. On Tuesday, he will visit the Namti field and pay tributes to bravehearts at the Walong war memorial.

(Inputs from Reuters, PTI)