India, China spar over PM visit to disputed region

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu on Tuesday commented on an Indian leader's visit to the disputed state of Arunachal Pradesh. China is seriously dissatisfied with the Indian leader for ignoring China's deep concern and for visiting the disputed area along the China-India border. We demand the Indian side pay attention to the serious and just concerns of the Chinese side, and not provoke incidents in the disputed region, in order to facilitate the healthy development of Sino-Indian relations, Ma said.Rejecting China's displeasure about Indian Prime Minister's visit to north eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, Indian Foreign Minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna said that the state is integral part of India. India's foreign ministry said its leaders were free to visit states where elections are held. Well, regardless of what others say it is the Government of India's stated position that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, Krishna told reporters in New Delhi. The ministry said in a statement that New Delhi was disappointed and concerned.Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh travelled to the mountainous state, twice the size of Switzerland, earlier this month to woo voters ahead of Tuesday's state assembly election. Delhi and Beijing fought a brief but bloody border war, partly over Arunachal Pradesh, in 1962, and while trade between the two has since flourished, the border disputes have never been resolved.