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The Union territories (UTs) of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir have been, are and will remain an integral part of India, and China has no locus standi to comment on India's internal matters, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, 15 October, days after China remarked that it "does not recognise the Ladakh UT, illegally set up by India."
“The government is focused on creating infrastructure for improving livelihood and economic welfare of people. The government gives specific attention to development of border areas for economic development and to meet India's security, strategic requirements," he further said, while asserting that countries should not comment on India's internal matters as much as they expect the same from others.
China's comments earlier this week had come after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had inaugurated 44 new bridges in border areas.
Reacting to the infrastructure building activity by India, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian reportedly said that it was “the root cause for tension between the two sides.”
He also suggested that neither country should take action that might increase tensions.
He also urged India to “earnestly implement our consensus and refrain from actions that might escalate the situation and take concrete measures to safeguard peace and tranquility along the border.”
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