China on Thursday rejected the allegations by the former Home Secretary, G.K. Pillai, that it was providing tacit support to insurgent groups in India's northeast, saying the claims were “inconsistent with facts.”
Mr. Pillai was quoted as saying in recent media reports that India had presented evidence to China of ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) chief Paresh Barua's travels to the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, including details of his airline tickets.
The Foreign Ministry here said in a statement that the reports were “completely inconsistent with facts.”
The statement, which was sent to the Press Trust of India, added that the Chinese government “always upholds the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs.”
Indian officials have also said some insurgent groups in the northeast were procuring arms from manufacturers in southwestern China.
Officials are, however, divided on whether the flow of weapons had the sanction of Chinese authorities, either at the central or provincial level, or if they were simply independent deals being made under the radar with Chinese companies.
Sources said that even if the latter case was more likely, they were of the view that Chinese officials had not taken enough action on specific evidence that was presented by their Indian counterparts at various instances.
