New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reacted to a recent Pentagon report stating that China has built a village along the Line of Actual Control in the eastern sector by stating that India has “always conveyed strong protests against such acts through diplomatic means and will continue to do so in future”. “We have taken note of the report. The Chinese had undertaken construction in the past several years in the border areas, including in areas it has illegally occupied over decades. India has neither accepted the occupation of territory by China nor accepted its unjustified claims,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said when asked about the reports of a Chinese village in a disputed area in Arunachal Pradesh.
In response, India has also stepped up border infrastructure including the construction of roads, bridges, etc., which has provided much-needed connectivity to the local population along the border, said Bagchi. “The Government remains committed to the objective of the improvement of livelihood of its citizens, including in Arunachal Pradesh,” said Bagchi while pointing out that the Foreign Office had reacted similarly when the reports about this particular ‘village’ had first appeared in January this year.
The Government keeps a constant watch on all developments that have consequences to national security and “takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity”, Bagchi said. BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao had last year stated in Lok Sabha that the “China had entered more than 60-70 km inside the upper Subansiri district if you follow the path along the river. They are constructing a road along the river known locally as the Lensi as it flows in the direction of the Subansiri river”.
