China protests Modi's Arunachal Pradesh visit

China today lodged a strong protest with India over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and expressed its "diametrical opposition" to the trip which it said was not conducive for resolving the border dispute.
"The act of the Indian side is not conducive to properly resolving and controlling disputes between the two sides, nor in conformity with the general situation of growth of bilateral relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said in strongly worded statement.
China has lodged a strong representation with India to express "diametrical opposition" to Prime Minister Modi's visit to a "disputed zone" along the China-India borders, Hua said.

The remarks came as Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh today and said the Centre was planning to make the region an organic hub to boost agriculture production and improve 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity in the northeast region neglected for long.
"Modi visited a disputed zone in the eastern part of China-India borders on Friday to attend activities marking the founding of the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh', a state that Indian authorities illegally and unilaterally declared in 1987," state-run Xinhua news agency claimed in a report on Hua's statement.
Hua said, "The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh'."
She said China's stance on the disputed area on the eastern part of the China-India border is consistent and clear. Hua asserted that it is a universally recognised fact that huge disputes exist on the eastern section of China-India borders.

"The so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh' was established largely on the three areas of China's Tibet -- Monyul, Loyul and Lower Tsayul currently under Indian illegal occupation. These three areas, located between the illegal ' McMahon Line' and the traditional customary boundary between China and India, have always been Chinese territory," the Xinhua report claimed.