The Ministry of External Affairs said it has noted the comments made by the spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of Arunachal Pradesh and asserted that the state “was, is and will always be” an integral and inalienable part of India.

The response from the MEA comes days after the Chinese military reiterated its claim, calling the area an “inherent part of China’s territory”, in the wake of India rejecting Beijing’s objection to PM Modi’s visit to the state. “We have noted the comments made by the spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh,” Randhir Jaiswal said.