Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a press briefing on April 8, 2020. (Photo from Foreign Ministry website)

China strongly opposed to India's infrastructure construction in disputed border areas for the purpose of military surveillance, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday, adding that neither side should take actions that will complicate the situation.

"China does not recognize the so-called Union Territory of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh illegally set up by India," Zhao said at a news conference. "We are opposed to infrastructure construction for the purpose of military surveillance in disputed border areas."

India announced on Monday that it has opened dozens of new bridges providing 24/7 all-weather access to the China-India border, including eight in the Ladakh region and eight in Arunachal. 

In accordance with the recent consensus reached between the two sides, neither China nor India should take any action in the border areas that would complicate the dispute, so as not to undermine the efforts made by both nations to de-escalate the situation, stressed Zhao. 

Zhao accused India of being the root cause of tensions along the border, as India has continued to enhance infrastructure construction and troop deployment in the disputed areas "over a period of time." 

Zhao also urged India to take practical actions to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated 44 key bridges including two crucial ones along the border" to facilitate the movement of armed forces and logistics in forward areas," highlighting the ongoing border tensions "in the wake of the threat from Pakistan and China," reported Indian media outlet India.com on Monday.

Global Times