China has chosen not to respond to reports that its officials did not attend a confidential G-20 meeting that took place in Arunachal Pradesh, an area that Beijing claims as part of its mainland.
When asked about this during a media briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that she was not aware of the situation and would need to check with her colleagues. The question and response were not included in the official transcript of the briefing posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website later on.
China considers Arunachal Pradesh as a part of South Tibet, while India strongly refutes this claim and maintains that the state is an essential part of the country.
Qin Gang, the Chinese Foreign Minister, attended the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi earlier this month. During his visit, Qin met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on March 2, marking their first meeting since Qin assumed his role as the Chinese foreign minister in December.
Source: India Today
