Bridge over Pangong lake being built in area under Chinese occupation for last 60 years: Centre

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the government has been monitoring this activity closely

India on Thursday said that China’s new bridge over Pangong Tso near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two nations was being built on its territory illegally occupied by the neighbouring communist country.

New Delhi pointed out that India had never accepted the illegal occupation of its territory by China. It also called upon the Chinese Government to work constructively with it to mutually withdraw the front-line troops deployed by the two nations along the LAC to resolve the 21-month-long stand-off in eastern Ladakh.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi stated that the Government of India was closely monitoring the construction of the bridge over Pangong Tso. “This bridge is being constructed in areas that have been under illegal occupation by China for around 60 years now,” Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the MEA, told journalists. “India has never accepted such illegal occupation (by China),” he added.

Also Read | China building bridge over Pangong Tso to counter India's attempts to gain strategic edge

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is apparently building the bridge to link the northern and the southern banks of Pangong Tso in order to quickly respond to any future move by the Indian Army to gain a strategic edge.

The MEA spokesperson also said that the government had been taking all necessary steps to protect the security interests of India along the LAC with China. “As part of these efforts, the government has also, in the last seven years, increased significantly the budget for the development of border infrastructure and completed more roads and bridges than ever before,” Bagchi said, adding, “These have provided much-needed connectivity to the local population as well as logistical support to armed forces. (The) the government remains committed to this objective.”

New Delhi also termed China’s recent move to rename 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh of India in its own language as a “ridiculous exercise to support untenable territorial claims”.

“Calling Tuting as ‘DouDeng’ or river Siyom as ‘XiYueMu’ or even Kibithu as ‘Daba’ does not alter the fact that Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will always remain an inalienable part of India,” Bagchi said, dismissing China’s bid to buttress its claim on territories of India.

“We hope that instead of engaging in such antics China will work constructively with us to resolve the outstanding friction points in areas along with the Western Sector of the LAC in India-China border areas,” added the MEA spokesperson.

He also objected to the recent letters written by the Political Counselor of the Embassy of China in New Delhi to the Members of Parliament of India regarding their participation at a dinner hosted by the Tibetan Parliament in Exile based at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.

“The substance, tone and tenor of the letter are inappropriate. The Chinese side should note that India is a vibrant democracy and the Hon’ble MPs, as representatives of the people, undertake activities as per their views and beliefs,” Bagchi told journalists on Thursday. “We expect the Chinese side to refrain from hyping normal activities by Hon’ble MPs and complicate further the situation in our bilateral relations.”

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