no-chinese-entry-in-arunachal-jaishankar-proclaims

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has categorically dismissed recent reports suggesting that Chinese troops have entered Arunachal Pradesh. Speaking at an event in New Delhi on Saturday, Jaishankar quashed claims of an incursion.

“China entered the border in 1959! What are you talking about?” he said in response to the speculation. The Minister emphasised that India maintains a robust patrol along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“What happens is, in Arunachal Pradesh, we are very robust in our patrolling of the LAC. And I can tell you that, in terms of our patrolling, there has been no major change in the last five-ten years or maybe even longer,” Jaishankar stated.

China has long asserted its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, periodically renaming locations in the region. In April, Beijing released a list of 30 locations in the northeastern state in a renewed bid to reinforce its claim.

India responded by renaming 30 locations in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, including geographical features like mountains, rivers, and a lake.

India has consistently rejected China’s renaming efforts, with the government stating that such actions do “not alter the reality that the state will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.”

However, concerns over Chinese incursions have recently intensified. In September, reports surfaced of Chinese troops advancing 60 kilometres into Indian territory in Arunachal’s Anjaw district, where they allegedly established a camp.

Additionally, tensions flared after Chinese troops objected to Indian mountaineers naming a newly scaled peak after the 6th Dalai Lama. The summit, standing at 20,942 feet, was climbed by the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) team from Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army recently inaugurated its first high-altitude artillery range in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, under the Eastern Command. This new range will support the testing and practice of howitzers and other critical weapons systems in the region.