Modi
PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s visit to Arunachal Pradesh. China further said that it “resolutely opposes” activities of Indian leaders in the region.

Despite recent efforts to improve bilateral ties in both countries, disputes over the mountainous Indo-China border — which triggered a war in 1962 — and the region that China claims as southern Tibet have remained a sensitive issue, a news agency reported.

“China urges the Indian side to proceed from the overall situation of bilateral relations, respect China’s interests and concerns, cherish the momentum of improving relations between the two countries, and refrain from any actions that intensify disputes and complicate the border issue,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Indian government has for not reacted to China’s claim.

Both India and China have sought to rebuild trust after an armed standoff over a stretch of the Himalayan border in 2017.

Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met a number of times last year to give impetus to the trade discussions. But progress, according to government officials and representatives of various Indian trade bodies, has been very slow.

Prime Minister Modi was in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday to launch nine development projects and addressed a mega rally in Itanagar.