CHINA PROTEST OF SINGH'S ARUNACHAL PRADESH TRIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 000449 SIPDIS SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - ADDED ADDRESS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PBTS CH IN SUBJECT: CHINA PROTEST OF SINGH'S ARUNACHAL PRADESH TRIP DRAWS ATTENTION IN THE INDIAN PRESS Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (U) India's major news outlets carried reports February 8-9 that China had informally objected to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's January 31 visit to Arunachal Pradesh (AP), during which he made a point of commenting that "Arunachal Pradesh is the easternmost state of our country, and the sun kisses the country here first...it is our land of the rising sun." According to "The Economic Times," China protested the Prime Minister's statement for being improper while the two countries work out a solution on disputed border issues. "The Times of India" reported that a "lowly official" registered China's informal protest during a meeting at the Indian Embassy. ¶2. (U) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not formally acknowledged the protest, but External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was quoted by the press in Mumbai as stating that "Arunachal is an integral part of our country. We are having elected representatives in Parliament from the state. Therefore, it is quite obvious that the Prime Minister can visit any part of the country." ¶3. (C) Comment: While this was not a front page Indian media story, it was carried by several media outlets, all with a similar angle - that PM Singh was asserting Indian sovereignty along the border. Post understands that this story was not widely carried by Chinese media, suggesting that the protest carried more significance in India than in China; i.e., India can ignore an informal, low-level comment by the Chinese and continue asserting its claim to AP. End comment. WHITE