MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti) — The Chinese Defense Ministry warned India against the planned construction of new borderline outposts in the impugned territory of the eastern part of India’s Arunachal Pradesh region, saying New Delhi would only complicate the situation instead of sustaining peace in what Beijing calls a "disputed area".
Chinese authorities have once more asserted their territorial claim on part of India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, saying Thursday that increased Indian border control would undermine peace in the region and further complicate tensions between the two nations.
"We have noticed relevant report. Dispute still exists in the eastern part of China-India border," Defence Ministry Spokesman Yang Yujin said, as quoted by India’s Economic Times.
"We urge the Indian side to do more to maintain peace and stability in the area and not do things that may complicate the situation," he added.
Last month Indian authorities took decisive action to build road infrastructure and military outposts at a distance less than 100 km (62 mile) from the disputed borderline. New Delhi intends to build 6,000 km (3,730 mi) of roads in the remote region. This would lead to a more efficient Indian control of the region with a boosted military presence that China sees as a potential threat as Beijing is not ready to renounce its claim to the area which it refers to as ‘South Tibet’.
"China's position on the dispute in this area is clear and consistent," Yang said. "It is an important consensus reached by the two sides to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Actual Control and both sides should do more towards converging direction rather than contrary."
The escalation of border tensions came about during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India. While bilateral trade and business ties between China and India are rapidly growing, there is deep political distrust between the two nations. Chinese and Indian troops met face-to-face on several occasions in the region in September. New Delhi says China occupies 38,000 square km of Indian territory, whereas China has claims of 90,000 square km, according to a report by Reuters.
China does not issue entry visas to Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh.
The ongoing territorial dispute stems from the 1962 armed conflict between China and India when the former managed to defeat the latter. There have been 17 rounds of negotiations thus far aimed at border settlement, none of which have been successful. There is also no clearly defined DMZ either, as the existing Line of Actual Control between Indian and Chinese territory in the region is amorphous.
