By IANS,
New Delhi : China had opposed India’s strategy plan at the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) because of Beijing’s long-standing claim over Arunachal Pradesh, parliament was informed Wednesday.
“India’s country partnership strategy was discussed in the meeting of the board of executive directors of the ADB on June 15 and all member countries except China supported the document,” said Preneet Kaur, minister of state for external affairs.
“China did not endorse the country partnership strategy for India in the board on the ground that it involved technical assistance funding for the flood and river erosion management project in Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is its territory,” she said.
“The government has clearly conveyed to the Chinese side that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India,” Kaur said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.
India also told all board members of ADB, including those from the US, Japan, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Germany and Italy that its strategy plan was not a political document.
New Delhi also conveyed to them that the strategy does not make any judgment as to the legal or other status of any territories, adding China’s objection on political grounds is a clear violation of the bank’s charter, the minister said.
The charter prohibits the bank from evaluating any proposal on grounds other that economic.