 China has flabbergasted Indians when its ambassador in New Delhi, Sun Yuxi, reiterated his country’s claim that Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory. In an interview with CNN-IBN ahead of President Hu Jintao’s visit to the Indian capital, the Chinese envoy termed his country’s border dispute with India complicated, and said it would take time to resolve. | “In our position the whole of what you call the state of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory and Tawang (district) is only one place in it and we are claiming all of that, that’s our position,” Sun said. |
“In our position the whole of what you call the state of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory and Tawang (district) is only one place in it and we are claiming all of that that’s our position,” Sun said.
| This map shows that Arunachal Pradesh is the tip of northeast India; it's between Tibet and Burma. It's also not small. |
Diplomatic and defence observers are of the opinion that the Chinese ambassadorÂ’s remarks had conspicuous importance against the backdrop of the Indian armyÂ’s assertions that it would not vacate Siachen since its troopsÂ’ presence there was of vital importance for Indian interests against Pakistan and China.
China cites the Tawang Monastery, one of the last remnants of Mahayana Buddhism, as evidence that the mountainous district of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh once belonged to Tibet and that India should hand it back to help settle the row.
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