China admonishes US for visit to disputed border

Ambassador to India Verma posted photos of his recent trip to Arunachal Pradesh

China admonished the United States yesterday for sending its ambassador in India to a contested stretch of land on the IndiaChina border, warning that a third party’s meddling would only complicate the dispute between Beijing and New Delhi.

China claims more than 90,000 square kilometres of territory disputed by India in the eastern sector of the Himalayas. Much of that forms the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China calls South Tibet. US Ambassador to India Richard Verma posted photos on his Twitter account on October 21 of his recent trip to Arunachal Pradesh, thanking Indian officials for their “warm hospitality”.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China was “firmly opposed” to the US diplomat’s actions, which he said would “damage the hardearned peace and tranquillity of the China-India border region”.

‘Nothing unusual’

India’s Ministry of External Affairs described Verma’s visit as “nothing unusual”.

“The US Ambassador visited Arunachal Pradesh, a state which is an integral part of the country to which he is accredited,” MEA spokesman Vikas Swarup said in response to the Chinese statement.