'Govt must assert territorial integrity of India': Arunachal Pradesh MP pens letter to Narendra Modi ahead of meet with Xi Jinping

A Congress MP from Arunachal Pradesh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and asked him to highlight the issues of Arunachal Pradesh during his upcoming meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping. [caption id=“attachment_4445631” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Ninong Ering. Twitter @ninong_erring[/caption] In his letter, Ninong Ering told Modi that China providing stapled visas to people of Arunachal Pradesh “is of concern and needs to be addressed immediately”. “Arunachal Pradesh is a state where people starting their day by greeting Jai Hind. The government must assert the territorial integrity of India and convey the feelings of Arunachal Pradesh people in a firm manner”, Ering wrote in his letter. Modi and Xi will hold a summit in China’s Wuhan city from 27 to 28 April for a “heart-to-heart” chat to explore a new paradigm for India-China ties and find ways to address the contentious issues such as the border dispute. Ering also asked Modi to raise Chinese transgressions into Arunachal Pradesh and the alleged diversion of Brahmaputra river water by the Chinese.“At many instances in recent times, Chinese troops have tried to enter into Arunachal Pradesh and built roads, recently in Bising village… You must protest against such incidents and tell China to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of India as envisaged in the Panchsheel agreement”, Ering wrote. He also called upon Modi to negotiate a water treaty with China for sustainable development. “It will help the northeastern states of India to have natural right of clean and continouus water”, Ering further added. The Modi-Xi summit  meeting is taking place in the backdrop of a series of high-level interactions between both the two countries starting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to India in December, the first after the Doka La standoff. Both countries will not sign any agreements or issue a joint statement. With inputs from PTI