China on Monday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, stating that it violated Chinese sovereignty over the area, a claim dismissed by India. Shah on Monday launched ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ from Kibithoo, the border village of the state.

“Zangnan, (the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) is China’s territory. Indian officials’ activities in this area violate China’s sovereignty and (are) not conducive to peace and tranquillity in the border regions. We firmly oppose it,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a media briefing while answering a question on Shah’s visit to the area. China’s renaming came in the midst of the lingering eastern Ladakh border standoff that began in May 2020.