BEIJING: China on Monday criticised Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, stating that it violated Chinese sovereignty over the area, days after India slammed Beijing’s move to rename some places in the border state in an attempt to stake its claim over the area. “Zangnan (the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) is part of China’s territory,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

“The activity of the senior Indian official in Zangnan violates China’s territorial sovereignty and is not conducive to peace and tranquility in the border areas,” he added. Last week, China announced renaming of 11 more places in Arunachal in Chinese which they claim as Southern Tibet, evoking a sharp reaction from India.