Updated on Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 00:00 IST

New Delhi, Nov 14: India on Tuesday rejected China's claim that Arunachal Pradesh was Chinese territory. "Arunachal is an integral part of India," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in Delhi, a day after Chinese Ambassador Sun Yuxi claimed that the east Indian state was "Chinese territory".

The Chinese Ambassador had told CNN-IBN, "In our position, the whole of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory and Tawang is only one place in it...We are claiming whole of that (Arunachal Pradesh). That is our position."

The two countries are currently engaged in talks to resolve the boundary question. Last year, they signed the 'Political Parameters and Guiding Principles' to resolve the border issue.

India's 'true image' needs to be projected

Noting that India is assuming a new leadership role on the world stage, Pranab Mukherjee said there was a need for projecting the country's "true image" of a modern and technologically-advanced nation.

He asked diplomats to play an increasingly active role to build and nurture external linkages to sustain the rapid growth of the country's economy besides harnessing the "limitless potential" of large communities of Indians and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) around the globe.

"In the domain of external publicity, we need to put an end to sterotypes about India as have continued to exist and project the true image of a modern and technologically advanced nation," Mukherjee said addressing officials of Ministry of External Affairs here at the ground-breaking ceremony for MEA building.

He noted that India is assuming a new leadership role on the world stage and "these are times of new opportunities as well as new challenges for our diplomacy".

The diplomats are required to make certain that India assumes its due place in the global order, the minister said.

Pointing out that economic aspects of India's diplomacy are becoming ever more important, he said the country's growing economy necessitates increasing access to markets, sources of energy and investment and advanced technologies.

Mukherjee said India was committed to Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's ideal of a peaceful world in which all nations, big and small, can live in harmony and work together for the progress and prosperity of their peoples.

Bureau Report