China has asserted that India has no right to develop the area it refers to as South Tibet, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

This response follows a Reuters report detailing New Delhi's plans to accelerate hydropower projects in the border state.

"South Tibet is China’s territory," stated a foreign ministry spokesman. The statement declared India's development efforts in the region, known in India as Arunachal Pradesh, to be "illegal and invalid."

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that India intends to invest $1 billion to hasten the construction of 12 hydropower stations in the northeastern Himalayan state.

India's Foreign Ministry has yet to comment on China's statement.

India maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country. However, China claims it as part of southern Tibet and has consistently opposed Indian infrastructure projects in the area.

Last week, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Kazakhstan, where both agreed to intensify efforts to resolve border issues. Photo by Matti&Keti, Wikimedia commons.