China angered as Indian PM visits disputed border region

BEIJING REUTERS Feb 15-China on Thursday expressed anger over a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the remote Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China also claims, and said India should stop any action that might complicate the dispute.   

 China claims the region in the eastern Himalayas as “South Tibet”, and it has denounced Indian leaders’ visits there as attempts to bolster India’s claims.   

 “China’s position on the China-India boundary question is consistent and clear-cut,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency.   
 “The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh and is firmly opposed to the Indian leader’s visit to the disputed area,” Geng said.   

 Chinese spokesman Geng said China and India had reached an important consensus on properly managing disputes, and the two sides were working to resolve their contested border through negotiation and consultation.   

 Modi is expected to visit China in June for a summit of the Chinese and Russian-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation security bloc.