- India plans to build 12 hydroelectric power plants in the disputed region.
- China opposes Indian infrastructure projects in southern Tibet.
- The Indian government claims the disputed Arunachal Pradesh as its integral part.
China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that India has no right to carry out development in the area China calls South Tibet, in response to a Reuters report on New Delhi's plans to speed up hydroelectric projects in the border state.
“Southern Tibet is China's territory,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement.
The spokesman said India had no right to carry out development there and that the establishment of what India calls Arunachal Pradesh on Chinese territory is “illegal and invalid.”
Reuters India plans to spend $1 billion to speed up construction of 12 hydroelectric power plants in the northeastern Himalayan state, it was reported on Tuesday.
India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on China's statement.
India claims its remote state of Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country, but China claims it is part of southern Tibet and has opposed Indian infrastructure projects there.
Last week, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Kazakhstan, where the two agreed to step up efforts to resolve issues along their border.
