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China Has No Right to Oppose Japan’s investment in Northeast: Amit Shah
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the India-Japan Business Summit in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on Sept 14, 2017.
Photo Credit: IANS
Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe discussed the possibility of Japanese investment in northeast India.
Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah on Sept. 16 responded to China’s objection to Japan’s plans for investment in the development of India’s northeastern states. “India has sovereign right to develop the country within its boundaries,” Shah said, PTI reported.
Shah’s response came after China said on Sept. 15 that it was opposed to any foreign investment in the “disputed areas” in northeast India.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe had discussed the possibility of investment from Japan in India’s northeast when they met for annual summit-level talks in Gujarat earlier this week.
In line with Modi’s “Act-East” Policy, Abe announced increased Japanese investment in infrastructure projects such as road connectivity and electricity in the region. The joint statement issued by the two countries did not specifically mention Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which are claimed by China. However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying referred to the “Eastern section”, the term used by Beijing to refer to the border along the state, in her response to a question over the issue.
Hua Chunying said at a news briefing, “You also mentioned Act East policy. You must be clear that the boundary of India and China border area has not been totally delimited. We have disputes on the eastern section of the boundary.”
She added: “We are now trying to seek a solution through negotiations that is acceptable to both sides. Under such circumstances, various parties should respect such aspects and any third party should not be involved in our efforts to resolve the disputes.”
She also said in response to other questions that China had closely tracked the Japanese Prime Minister’s high-profile visit to India. “India and Japan are important countries in Asia. We hope the normal development of the relationship can be conducive to regional, peace and development and play a constructive role in this process,” the Chinese spokesperson added.
