China today objected to the visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Arunachal Pradesh, saying the Chinese government never acknowledged the “so-called” northeast Indian state, which it claims to be a part of South Tibet.
Singh visited Tawang on Thursday for the ‘Maitree Diwas’ celebrations to boost civil-military friendship in the region bordering China.
Reacting to the visit, Spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Geng Shuang said, “The Chinese government never acknowledged the so-called Arunachal Pradesh.We firmly oppose the activities conducted in that area by Indian officials or leaders.”
China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet and the two countries have so far held 21 rounds of talks to resolve the border dispute covering 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control .
Addressing a function in the border town of Tawang, Singh said people living there are important to the country strategically.