On Thursday, the Government of India said it has taken note of last week’s Pentagon report on China having built a huge 100-home civilian village inside the disputed territory on the boundary in India\u2019s Arunachal Pradesh and also stated that New Delhi has neither accepted such illegal occupation of its territory nor has it accepted the unjustified Chinese claims.<\/p>\n
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on responding to media questions on the issue said that the government is maintaining a close watch on all developments that have a bearing on India’s security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.<\/p>\n
In a statement, he said,\u00a0 \u201cWe have taken note of the US Department of Defence\u2019s report to US Congress which inter-alia also makes a reference to construction activities by the Chinese side along with the India-China border areas, particularly in the Eastern Sector. Reports had also appeared in the media earlier this year on this issue. \u201cAs we had stated then, China has undertaken construction activities in the past several years along the border areas including in the areas that it has illegally occupied over the decades. \u201cIndia has neither accepted such illegal occupation of our territory nor has it accepted the unjustified Chinese claims. The Government has always conveyed its strong protest to such activities through diplomatic means and will continue to do so in the future. \u201cFurther, as conveyed earlier the Government has also stepped up border infrastructure including the construction of roads, bridges etc, which has provided much-needed connectivity to the local population along the border. \u201cThe Government remains committed to the objective of creating infrastructure along the border areas for the improvement of livelihood of its citizens, including in Arunachal Pradesh.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment keeps a constant watch on all developments<\/a> having a bearing on India’s security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The Pentagon, in its China Military Power Report last week to the US Congress, said that despite the ongoing diplomatic and military dialogue between India and China to reduce border tensions, China has \u201ccontinued taking incremental and tactical actions to press its claims at the LAC\u201d. It said that in 2020, the \u201cPeoples Republic of China built a large 100-home civilian village inside disputed territory between the PRC\u2019s Tibet Autonomous Region and India\u2019s Arunachal Pradesh state in the eastern sector of the LAC. These and other infrastructure development efforts along the India-China border have been a source of consternation in the Indian government and media\u201d.<\/p>\n