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China criticises Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh

China on April 10 said it firmly opposes a visit by Home Minister Amit Shah to Arunachal Pradesh, adding that the official’s activities in the area violated China’s territorial sovereignty.

Shah, in his first visit to the northeastern State as Home Minister, is scheduled to launch the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ (VVP) in Kibithoo, a village along the India-China border. During the two-day visit, he will also inaugurate Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) projects to augment infrastructure at Likabali (Arunachal Pradesh), Chapra (Bihar), Nooranad (Kerala) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), officials said.

The Home Minister’s visit to the region comes amid tension between China and India. China on April 2 announced it would “standardise” the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released a list of 11 places on a map that show regions in Arunachal Pradesh as those inside the southern Tibetan region, which China calls “Zangnan”.

In response to a question on Shah’s visit, spokesperson Wang Wenbin told Reuters that “Zangnan is China’s territory,” adding that “the Indian official’s visit to Zangnan violates China’s territorial sovereignty, and is not conducive to the peace and tranquillity of the border situation.”

The Indian Government on April 4 outrightly rejected China’s sovereignty over the region. In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh remains an internal part of India. “We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright,” he said.

The White House has also expressed “strong opposition” against China’s move to rename the region. “The United States, as you know, has recognised that territory for a long time and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance a territory claim by renaming localities. And so, again, this is something that we have long stood by a few things,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.