India has once again dismissed China's "absurd claims" and "baseless arguments" regarding Arunachal Pradesh, reaffirming the northeastern state's integral and inalienable status within India.

The Ministry of External Affairs released an official statement today, stating that the people of Arunachal Pradesh will continue to benefit from India's development programs and infrastructure projects.

"We have noted the comments made by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity," said the official spokesperson of MEA, Randhir Jaiswal.

"Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programmes and infrastructure projects," the statement added.

The recent statements from the Chinese defence ministry reiterated China's claim over Arunachal Pradesh, referring to the Indian state as "Zangnan," an inherent part of China's territory.

"Zangnan is China's inherent territory, and China never recognizes and firmly opposes India's illegal establishment of the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh'," said spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defence Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang on March 15.

China's assertions came shortly after India strongly rebutted China's comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

In a previous statement, MEA stated that China's objections to visits by Indian leaders or India's developmental projects lack rationality.

"We reject the comments made by the Chinese side regarding the visit of the Prime Minister to Arunachal Pradesh. Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other States of India. Objecting to such visits or India's developmental projects does not stand to reason," MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on March 12.

The spokesperson added, "further, it will not change the reality that the State of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Chinese side has been made aware of this consistent position on several occasions."

On March 9, Prime Minister Modi virtually inaugurated the strategic Sela Tunnel during an event held in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh's capital. The tunnel, constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), is situated at an altitude of 13,000 feet along the road linking Tezpur, Assam, to Tawang in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

China, which lays claim to Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, regularly protests Indian leaders' visits to the state to reinforce its claims and has designated the area as Zangnan.