The govt said that India keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on its security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity

After the US released a report stating that Beijing has built a large village in disputed territory in the Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian government on Thursday said that it has not accepted the illegal occupation of its territory by China.

“China has undertaken construction activities in the past several years along the border areas, including in the areas that it has illegally occupied over decades. India has neither accepted such illegal occupation of our territory nor has it accepted the unjustified Chinese claims," said the ministry of external affairs. 

"The government has always conveyed its strong protest to such activities through diplomatic means and will continue to do so in the future," it added.

Further, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on its security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He also said that India too stepped up infrastructure development including construction of roads and bridges in areas along the border with China.

"The government remains committed to the objective of creating infrastructure along the border areas for the improvement of livelihood of its citizens, including in Arunachal Pradesh," he said. 

Bagchi said India has taken note of the US Department of Defence report to the US Congress that made a reference to construction activities by the Chinese side along the India-China border areas.

The Pentagon had said in a report earlier this month China built a large 100-home civilian village inside disputed territory between the Chinese Tibet Autonomous Region and India's Arunachal Pradesh state in the eastern sector of the LAC.

"These and other infrastructure development efforts along India-China have been a source of consternation in the Indian government and media," it said. 

According to the report, at the height of the border standoff between China and India in 2020, the Chinese Army installed a fibre-optic network in remote areas of the western Himalayas to provide faster communications and increased protection from foreign interception.

The PLA field commanders view near-real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and situational data as well as redundant and reliable communications as essential to streamlining decision-making processes and shortening response timelines, it said.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on 5 May last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

The tension escalated following a deadly clash in Galwan Valley on 15 June last year.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in February and in the Gogra area in August.

The last round of military talks on 10 October ended in a stalemate following which both sides blamed each other for the impasse.

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