China on Thursday defended the construction of the village around Arunachal Pradesh, saying it is a normal construction project and lies on its own territory. However, according to reports based on satellite images put out by US-based imaging firm Planet Labs, the Chinese settlement is allegedly lying in the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Chinese foreign ministry described the construction as a matter of its sovereignty and insisted that it never recognised the "illegally established” Indian state Arunachal Pradesh. China further said that its stance on the China-India boundary along the eastern sector has been consistent and clear.
“First, I’d like to tell you that China’s position on the eastern sector of the China-India boundary, or Zangnan (the southern part of China’s Tibet), is consistent and clear. We have never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established on the Chinese territory,” said the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. The official was responding to a query about the construction of the dwelling units. China has consistently denied India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh even though it was Tibet, previous to its takeover by China, that shared borders with India.
“China’s normal construction on its own territory is entirely a matter of sovereignty,” added Hua. Hua said China’s development and activities “within our own territory is normal”.
The Indian government reacted to this situation and issued a report saying that is has been continuously monitoring the developments in Arunachal Pradesh. Besides this, the report said that India has stepped up its own construction strategy along the border itself. India is building various infrastructures like borders and road there.
India on Monday asserted that it kept a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on the country's security and took necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
