China says not aware of any intrusion into ‘so-called Arunachal’

BEIJING:CHINA on Wednesday said it was not aware of the reported intrusion by its troops into Arunachal Pradesh in December, emphasising that the “so-called” state in India does not exist.

Media reports said Chinese soldiers with road-building machines entered up to 200 metres into Arunachal last year.

“First of all, on border issues with India, China is clear and consistent. We never acknowledge the existence of so-called Arunachal Pradesh,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang. “For the specific situation you mentioned, I am not aware of it.”

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own and calls it Southern Tibet. The northeast state lies in the eastern sector of the 3,448km-long undemarcated Sino-indian border.

“I want to mention that between China and India, there is a well-developed mechanism on border related affairs. Through this mechanism, Beijing and New Delhi can manage their border affairs,” Geng said.

“Also, maintaining peace and stability on border areas suits the interests of both (countries).”

Meanwhile, the road construction equipment left by the Chinese forces is yet to be taken care of, security sources told HT.

The Indian side has sought a flag meeting to resolve the issue.

Sources said an army petrol detected construction of a road around 200 meters inside the Indian territory almost reaching a border village in Upper Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh on December 26. The Chinese were asked to halt the leveling work immediately and their road construction machines including two excavators were seized.

“Generally three to four petrol teams go to that area every month,” said the source.