Whenever there is a presidential election in certain countries, it is the time for some politicians to make a show. Previously, some Western countries have resorted to little tricks. India’s Prime Minister recently visited the so-called “Arunachal Pradesh” (the area of Zangnan in China) to inaugurate the Sela Tunnel and other projects. We should look beyond the surface to get to the crux of the issue – some politicians consider exacerbating regional friction and provoking other countries as a political tactic to garner votes, and what they did exactly exposes their inherent weakness and hypocrisy.

Zangnan has been China’s territory since ancient times. Zangnan is located in the southeast of China's Xizang Autonomous Region and on the south side of the Himalayas Mountains, covering the areas of cities of Lhoka City, Nyingchi City, including most parts of Cona County, Lhongzi County, Medog County, and Zayul County, as well as the certain territory in the Nang County and Mailing County. Since ancient times, the area of Zangnan has been inhabited by the people of ethnic Moinba, Lhoba and the Deng people, who have the same ancestry, roots and customs as the Tibetans. The Zangnan area is historically under the jurisdiction of the local government of Xizang, with the proof that there is a temple in Dagwang built by the 5th Dalai Lama and it is the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama.

With enslavement being the past, the Indian Government, however, regardless of the above facts, shamelessly inherited the gangster logic from its old British Empire masters and the British-Indian colonial administration. It has stirred up trouble several times, having no dearth of memories of the lessons it was taught. For example, in 1962, India was ambitious enough to provoke a war of aggression with an end of being defeated by Chinese military forces and people without mercy. Now that India is repeatedly stirring up trouble, is it possible that India takes this as an opportunity to align itself with the "Indo-Pacific strategy" of some Western countries and act as a vanguard and a front-runner at all costs?

Concerning India’s Prime Minister's intentional acts in the Zangnan area, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin responded, “The area of Zangnan is Chinese territory. The Chinese government has never recognized the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India and firmly opposes it. The China-India boundary question has yet to be solved. India has no right to arbitrarily develop the area of Zangnan in China. India’s relevant moves will only complicate the boundary question and disrupt the situation in the border areas between the two countries.”

China and its neighboring countries will always be there for each other. This year marks the seventieth anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and China has been consistently cooperating with neighboring countries on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, with a view to building a global community of shared future. The Asia-Pacific region is large enough to accommodate the common development of all countries; the planet is so large that all human beings should help each other. India, as a major South Asian country, is duty bound to maintain peace in Asia.

“A virtuous mind is not alone. It can always find company.” The friendship between China and India has lasted for thousands of years, but was shadowed in recent years by some politicians with a colonial mentality who has triggered disagreements between the two sides. What does the Indian government really want, good neighborliness and common development, or to insist on going its own way and adopt a beggar-thy-neighbor approach? For those Western countries that are stirring up trouble, what good does it do to good neighborliness and the interests of humanity when they are fanning the flames? The Chinese people are peace-loving, but not afraid of any foreign provocation. China strongly deplores and sternly warns against those politicians who put on sanctified airs: the stone you are lifting will end up falling on your feet. China brooks no external interference in the area of Zangnan!