New Delhi: It was hardly calculated to set the tone for the visit of China's President Hu Jintao to Delhi after China's Ambassador to India, Sun Yuxi, claimed Arunachal Pradesh as part of his country.
The Indian External Affairs Ministry has outrightly rejected Yuxi's claim and China's Foreign Office in Beijin has also downplayed the comments.
Says External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, "Arunachal is an integral part of India and it is known the respective position of the countries with regards Arunachal."
Former foreign secretary and now governor of Arunachal Pradesh, S K Singh, accused the ambassador of arrogance.
"This is an arrogant way of negotiation from China. It's very inappropriate for an ambassador to make such a comment. Chinese have done this before and I feel it is very odd," says Singh.
While the Chinese ambassador and the Indian External Affairs Minister are only stating known positions on Arunachal, the timing of the comments - just a week before Hu Jintao's visit - underlines there's no imminent solution to the border dispute.
Apart from Arunachal, China also has territorial claims in Ladakh in Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. It is in physical occupation of around 40,000 square miles of territory in all these areas.
Nevertheless, agreements signed in 1993 and 1996 have ensured peace and tranquility. Talks on the border were also upgraded to that of special representative, but after eight rounds with a ninth round still to be held, a resolution seems far away - although both sides are committed to a political settlement.
QUOTE
The Chinese Ambassador, in an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN said on Monday, "In our position, the whole of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory and Tawang is only one place in it. We are claiming whole of that (Arunachal Pradesh). That is our position."
^tawang monastery
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my point is a nation can't proclaim an area to be its part on historical grounds.