India's plans for Arunachal Pradesh border road is a new 'concern': China

Beijing/New Delhi:  China expressed concern on Wednesday over an alleged plan by India to build a road along the border in Arunachal Pradesh. “China has already spread their network of roads and rail network near the border. Whatever we make on our territory should not be a concern of China,” an unnamed official in the Home Ministry’s border management department told Reuters. [caption id=“attachment_1758265” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  AFP[/caption] He was quoted as saying that the ministry was seeking Cabinet approval for the 2000-km road in Arunachal Pradesh and had preliminary support from the Prime Minister’s Office. In September, the government eased environmental and other curbs on building roads and military facilities within 100 km of the border in Arunachal Pradesh to hasten the construction of some 6,000 km of roads. Reacting to news about the new road, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the government needed to “further verify the situation”. “Before the border problem is solved, we hope the Indian side will not take any action that could further complicate the relevant issue, so as to preserve the current situation of peace and stability in the border area,” he added. Last month, India and China agreed to pull back troops ranged against each other in Ladakh, ending their biggest face-off on the border in a year. India said China’s soldiers had crossed the border in Ladakh in an attempt to build a road within India’s territory in violation of existing agreements. The two armies had mobilised about 1,000 soldiers each. India is concerned about China’s development of airports and extensive road and railway networks in Tibet, which can give Beijing the ability to mobilize troops quickly along the border. Reuters