The US recognises Arunachal Pradesh as part of India amid territorial claims by China The US recognises Arunachal Pradesh as part of India amid territorial claims by China

State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said the US strongly opposes China's attempts to advance territorial claims.

Amid China’s protest over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh to inaugurate the strategic Sela Tunnel, and the subsequent reiteration of its claim to the region, the United States clarified that it recognises the state as part of the Indian territory. A senior Biden administration official said that the US recognises Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and strongly opposes any unilateral attempts by China to advance its territorial claims across the Line of Actual Control.

Speaking at his daily press conference on Wednesday, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, "The United States recognises Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions or encroachments, military or civilian, across the Line of Actual Control."

China recognises the area as Zangnan. Following PM Modi’s visit to Arunachal to inaugurate the tunnel at an altitude of 13,000 ft, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that China never recognised the “so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally set up by India”. Wenbin said that the China-India boundary issue is yet to be resolved and that India has no right to arbitrarily develop the area. Wenbin said that China has made “solemn representations” to India over its dissatisfaction with PM Modi’s visit to the state.

Meanwhile, earlier this week Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang said that the southern part of Xizang (the Chinese name for Tibet) is an inherent part of China's territory, and Beijing "never acknowledges and firmly opposes" the "so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India".

India, on the other hand, has rejected China’s claims and asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country. New Delhi, in a statement, said that Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time as they visit other states, and objecting to such visits does not stand to reason.

“Further, it will not change the reality that the state of Arunachal Pradesh was, is and always will be an integral and inalienable part of India. The Chinese side has been made aware of this consistent position on several occasions,” New Delhi had said.

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