India on Tuesday strongly countered Chinese objections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Saturday visit to Arunachal Pradesh to open the Sela Tunnel, asserting they would not change the reality that the state is an integral part of the country.

China had on Monday objected to the tunnel, maintaining India had no right to develop "Zangnan in China".

Zangnan is how China refers to Arunachal Pradesh.

On how China viewed the tunnel opening, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said: "The area of Zangnan is Chinese territory. The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally set up by India...."

He added that the "China-India boundary question has yet to be solved". "India has no right to arbitrarily develop the area of Zangnan in China.... China strongly deplores and firmly opposes the Indian leader’s visit to the East Section of the China-India boundary," Wenbin said.

In reply, external affairs ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said: "We reject the comments made by the Chinese side regarding the visit of the Prime Minister to Arunachal Pradesh. Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh... as they visit other states of India. Objecting to such visits or India's developmental projects does not stand to reason.... It will not change the reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. The Chinese side has been made aware of this consistent position on several occasions."