NEW DELHI - India is constructing a number of airfields close to the border with China to counter any potential threats even though the two countries have taken adequate measures to ensure peace along the frontier, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament on Thursday.
“Thirteen operational roads are to be completed in Arunachal Pradesh. We are also constructing airports (airfields) close to the border,” he said while replying to a supplementary during question hour in the Rajya Sabha.
Responding to a question on Chinese incursions along the Line of Actual Control, Mukherjee attributed these to the “different perceptions” of the two countries. “There is a disputed area of 38,000 sq km that we say China has illegally occupied. In addition, there are 5,000 sq km that Pakistan has ceded to China from the part of Kashmir it controls. China thinks Arunachal Pradesh is part of its territory.” |