Nirmala Sitharaman visits army posts in Arunachal Pradesh, China objects

China on Monday objected to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying there is a dispute in the eastern section of the India-China border.

Sitharaman yesterday visited forward army posts in remote Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China to take stock of the defence preparedness.

Sharing with our brave men at one our posts. Addressing them, later. pic.twitter.com/hRAcXPQ2nl

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) November 5, 2017

The minister, in her maiden visit to the state, was accompanied by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command Lt Gen Abhay Krishna and other senior Army officers.
Reacting to her visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said "there was a dispute in the eastern section of the India-China border."
China views Arunachal Pradesh as Southern Tibet.

With DIstrict Collector of Anjaw, Arunachal Pr. A dynamic & enthusiastic officer. 2nd least populated district. @KirenRijiju @PemaKhanduBJP pic.twitter.com/hGUxBYDSTV

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) November 5, 2017

The defence minister was briefed on the situation and defence preparedness along the Line of Actual Control, Defence Spokesman Lt. Col. Sombit Ghosh said in a release yesterday.

Sitharaman interacted with the troops at forward army posts at Kibithu in Anjaw district and lauded their dedication to the service and their efforts in such a remote and inhospitable terrain.

She also visited the key air force base in Chabua in Tinsukia district of neighbouring Assam, where she was received by Senior Air Staff Officer (HQ), Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar and Air Commodore George Thomas.
The minister took stock of the operational preparedness and infrastructure development at the base.