New Delhi: After China lodged diplomatic protest over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Arunachal visit, the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday, March 11, said that Beijing's objection does not stand to reason. New Delhi said that Indian leaders including Prime Minister Modi visit Arunachal Pradesh as they visit other Indian states.

The External Affairs Ministry said that Beijing's protest would not change the reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will be an integral and inalienable part of India. New Delhi asserted that Arunachal Pradesh "was, is, and will" always be an integral and inalienable part of India.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Chinese side has been made aware of this "consistent position" on several occasions. He said that objecting to such visits by Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh or India's developmental projects in the state does not stand to reason. “We reject the comments made by the Chinese side regarding the visit of the prime minister to Arunachal Pradesh,” said Jaiswal. 

"Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other States of India. Objecting to such visits or India's developmental projects does not stand to reason. Further, it will not change the reality that the State of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India," Jaiswal said.

What China said on PM Modi's Beijing Visit? 

China on Monday said it lodged a diplomatic protest with India over Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh last week, and reiterated its claim over the region by saying India's moves will "only complicate" the unresolved boundary question.

China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, routinely objects to Indian leaders' visits to the state to highlight its claims. Beijing has also named the area as Zangnan.