Not concerned with China's objection to my Arunachal visit: Sitharaman
What's the story
Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has dismissed China's objection to her visit to Arunachal Pradesh, claiming the state is Indian territory. "What's the problem? It's our territory, we'll go there. We aren't concerned with someone else's opinion on this," she told reporters in Gujarat. While talking about her visit, Beijing had earlier said "there was a dispute in the eastern section of the India-China border".
Visit
Sitharaman's 'friendly gesture' was noted positively in Chinese media
On November 5, Sitharaman had visited army posts in Arunachal's remote Anjaw district bordering China to take stock of defense preparedness. Last month, she visited the Sino-Indian border in Sikkim and left an impression with her "friendly gesture": a video where she's seen teaching Chinese troops the meaning of 'Namaste' went viral. The amicable interaction came even as China maintained troops' presence at Doklam.
Twitter Post
Sitharaman shares pictures from her visit
Sharing with our brave men at one our posts. Addressing them, later. pic.twitter.com/hRAcXPQ2nl
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) November 5, 2017
Reax
There are many issues straining bilateral friendship: Sitharaman
Later, Beijing objected to her visit to Arunachal, which it claims is Southern Tibet, a Chinese territory, saying her visit to the "disputed area" wasn't conducive to regional peace. But Sitharaman dismissed the objection. Asked if India giving shelter to the Dalai Lama was the reason for strained bilateral ties, she said, "One issue cannot make or break a relationship. There are many issues."